YuGiOh European Duel Academy
by Supreme Arcanite Magician
Summary: Several years after Kaiba opened his first Duel Academy, he allows Siegfried Von Schroeder to open his own academy.  But just like in any other dueling school something goes wrong...
1. The Dueling Legacy Continues

Disclaimer: I do own not Yu-Gi-Oh or anything designed by its original creator. I do own every card and character I created myself.

* * *

><p>It was a sunny day in Japan where everything was peaceful.<p>

At the top floor of Kaiba Corp two men where in the middle of signing a contract.

"I never thought that there would be a day we would do this kind of business" Seto Kaiba said.

Seto Kaiba was worldwide known for being the CEO of Kaiba Corp and for being one of the world's best duelists.

"To think that we once tried to ruin each other" Siegfried agreed.

Siegfried Von Schroeder was less known than Kaiba, but was still known to be the CEO of Schroeder Corp and as the former European champion of Duel Monsters.

"Well," Kaiba stated, "I'll give you a chance to run your own Duel Academy".

"Thank you, Kaiba" Siegfried said as he signed the contract.

_I hope he doesn't ruin it_ Kaiba thought as he signed the contract.

The two CEO's shook each other's hand as Siegfried finally owned his own European Duel Academy.

* * *

><p><strong>Yu-Gi-Oh European Duel Academy<strong>

**Turn One: The Dueling Legacy Continues**

* * *

><p><em>10 years later:<em>

It was 2024, ten years after Siegfried had opened the European Duel Academy. In those ten years, it had grown to be one of the largest academies in the world, though not yet rivaling the original Duel Academia. Every year, hundreds of young duelists tried to take the prestigious exam in order to be accepted into the academy. Therefore, the strongest young duelists of Europe were gathered at one place, were they could hone their skills as much as possible.

The exam took place in Brussels, the capital of Europe, and therefore a logical place to hold the exam. The exam had two parts. The first part was a written exam, where the dueling knowledge of the contestant would be tested. Only the ones who passed this exam were allowed to take the second one: the prestigious dueling exam.

One of them was a boy named Rick Claeys. He was fairly tall for his age, being 14. He had dark blonde hair and blue eyes, but more importantly he wore a Duel Disk on his left arm, proof that he was a duelist. Having barely passed the written test, he was allowed to take the dueling exam, in hopes of being able to enroll into the academy.

He was now standing in front of the building where the exam was held. Almost entering, he glanced at his deck. _Just a little longer and I'll be an actual student here._

He then walked inside, ready to take his exam.

* * *

><p>In the examination hall, many duels were going on as Rick entered. It was impressive to watch all those kids giving their all in order to be accepted into a school. Then again, this was the only school in Europe that taught people how to duel. And in these days, dueling was an even bigger sport than football. So it wasn't weird that everyone tried really hard. If anything was odd, it would be that this was the only school that taught people to duel.<p>

Since it wasn't time yet for Rick to take his exam, he decided to watch one of the duels being played right now. Arriving at a field, he could see one duelist having a rather majestic-looking dragon as well as a face-down card, while the other one only had a face-down card but no monsters.

"Gragonith, direct attack" a guy ordered.

"Not bad." the examiner said. "But this is better, activate Magic Cylinder."

Two cylinders emerged, one receiving the attack, and the second one redirecting it, but the guy remained unfazed and then smiled.

"That is better." he responded. "But this is best, activate Solemn Judgment."

In an instant, the cylinders shattered in small pieces, becoming worthless, no longer able to hold back the powerful attack of Gragonith.

**LP Examiner: 4600 – 5000 = 0**

Seeing the high-class play of that boy, who defeated his instructor without any problems, Rick couldn't help but be impressed.

"If all duelists in here are that strong…" he mumbled.

"Then what?" another one interrupted his thoughts. This particular guy was as tall as Rick, and he had black hair curled in a way Rick had never seen before. There was no way this guy wouldn't stand out in a group.

Rick turned around, looking at the boy. "Nothing, I just thought that guy was really good."

"Oh, by the way, I'm Ilian Vogell" he said, introducing himself.

"Rick, Rick Claeys."

"The duelist you were watching, Rick, was Thomas Gerland, one of Germany's top-ranked duelists."

"You mean not every duelist is that good?"

Before Ilian had the chance to answer that question, a speaker could be heard troughout the building.

"_Will Rick Claeys come to the Duel Arena for his examination duel?"_

Hearing that, Rick became ready to take his exam. Before he did, he asked Ilian one last thing.

"Did you already pass the entrance exam?"

"Maybe" Ilian said smiling. "Good luck!"

* * *

><p>Once Rick entered the arena, he became quite nervous. Until now, he had always assumed he would become a student here no matter what. But standing on this field, he finally realized what exactly was at stake.<p>

_What if I ruin this? No, I'm not going to lose, _Rick thought.

The conflict in his mind stopped as soon as Rick saw his opponent entering the arena. A man, presumably in his late thirties, with brown hair and a pair of glasses walked towards Rick and extended his hand. Feeling somewhat tense, Rick accepted the handshake.

"Hello, my name is professor Hans Helsingborg, head of Odin department."

"Odin department?" Rick asked confused.

Professor Helsingborg ignored him and started with explaining the rules of the exam.

"The rules were selected through the file you answered" Helsingborg began.

"There were two options: Dueling against an examination deck or dueling against a teacher using his own deck."

Professor Helsingborg paused, and then continued.

"If you had chosen the first option, you had to win the duel. However, since you've chosen the second option, your evaluation will be based on your dueling skills. Of course, your written exam will be taken into account as well."

"So…winning isn't necessary?" Rick asked, still trying to understand.

"No. Just show me what you can do."

"Okay, sounds nice" Rick said, getting excited.

"DUEL" they shouted together.

"I'll take the first turn", Professor Helsingborg declared as he drew his sixth card.

"I summon Blackwing-Bora the Spear" Professor Helsingborg said as there appeared a bird with black feathers on his wings holding a spear.

**Blackwing-Bora the Spear: (Lv4, Winged-Beast, ATK 1700 DEF 800)**

"Then I set one card face-down and end my turn" he said in a confident tone.

"My turn" Rick said.

"First, I summon Breaker the Magical Warrior in attack mode."

A warrior with a red armor entered the field. He wielded a long sword, which started to glow as soon as he arrived.

**Breaker the Magical Warrior: (Lv4, Spellcaster, ATK 1600 DEF 1000)**

"If 'Breaker' is normal summoned…" Rick wanted to continue his explanation.

"He gets a Spell Counter which increases his attack with 300" Professor Helsingborg completed his sentence. Being a teacher at a famous dueling school, it was no surprise he was aware of the effect of an infamous monster such as Breaker the Magical Warrior.

**Breaker the Magical Warrior: ATK 1600 + 300 = 1900**

"'Breaker', attack 'Bora' with 'Magical Sword'" Rick ordered as 'Breaker's' sword sliced 'Bora' in half.

**LP Professor Helsingborg: 8000 – 200 = 7800**

"Not bad" Professor Helsingborg complimented Rick for making the first strike.

"But I haven't started yet" Professor Helsingborg warned him.

"Neither have I" Rick responded. "Now I activate 'Breaker's' second ability. By removing 'Breaker's' Spell Counter I can destroy one spell or trap card on the field. So I destroy your face-down card."

'Breaker's' sword glowed before it shattered Professor Helsingborg's face-down Icarus Attack.

"Your turn, professor" Rick smiled.

"Draw" Professor Helsingborg said in a cold tone. "It seems I underestimated you. But aren't you underestimating me right now?"

_This can be interesting… _Ilian mused.

"I summon Blackwing-Blizzard the Far North in attack mode."

Another bird now arrived on Professor Helsingborg's field. In contrast to its name, though, only a small fraction of his feathers were black, with most of them being pure white.

**Blackwing-Blizzard the Far North: (Lv2, Winged-Beast, ATK 1300 DEF 0)**

Rick obviously was as amazed as the crowd, seeing a weak-looking monster summoned in attack position.

"I think I'm right. You don't think I'm fighting serious. Well, if Blackwing-Blizzard the Far North is summoned, I can special summon a level 4 or lower Blackwing in defense mode, so be revived, Blackwing-Bora the Spear."

Seeing those two monsters together on the field, Rick still didn't get what his opponent was doing. Granted, 'Bora' was the strongest monster in terms of attack points, but that didn't matter if he was summoned in defense mode.

"Are you trying to stall or…" Rick wanted to ask.

But before Rick could finish his sentence, Hans Helsingborg revealed his plan.

"I tune my two Blackwings into Blackwing-Armed Wing" Professor Helsingborg announced.

Making that statement, Blackwing-Blizzard the Far North transformed into two green rings that consequently overlapped the other bird before they were enveloped in a flash of light. What appeared afterwards was a new bird with a humanoid posture. Red feathers on his head looking like a haircut, green feathers on his shoulders, giving the impression of an armor, and black ones for his wings. Another notable feature was the gun he was holding, which combined with the blade adapted to it, was a lethal weapon.

Looking at it, Rick was slightly impressed by his opponent's succesful synchro summon.

**Blackwing-Armed Wing: (Winged Beast, lv6, ATK 2300 DEF 1000)**

"Is this serious enough?" Professor Helsingborg asked with a coy smile.

Rick didn't answer but just smiled back.

"I'll take that as a yes. Blackwing-Armed Wing, attack!"

Before the red-armored warrior even had the chance to defend himself, he was already shot in his chest. As if that wasn't enough, the black-winged bird also leapt at a high speed to slash the wounded swordsman in half.

**LP Rick: 8000 – 700 = 7300 **

"And one face-down card will end my turn" Professor Helsingborg announced.

"My turn" Rick declared as he drew, bringing his hand back to six cards.

"I set one monster and two face-down cards. That will do for now."

The holograms of three cards were shown on the field. One of them was placed horizontally, while the two placed behind it were shown vertically.

"Are you so sure about your cards? Because I wouldn't be. Activate trap card: Delta Crow-Anti Reverse."

"What makes it so powerful?" Rick asked.

"I can only activate this card when I control a Blackwing monster, but in exchange I can destroy all your face-down spells and traps."

_That's a powerful trap! _Ilian thought. _I hope Rick can do something to fight back._

At the duel field, a storm appeared with such power that it made Rick's backrow vanish.

_My Magician's Circle. There goes my chance to swarm _Rick thought.

"Did you think you had a chance of winning? Even when I'm not playing by full power, I'm still better than you" Professor Helsingborg stated.

Rick was offended but only drew a card and didn't argue anything back. He wasn't the type to get worked up by an insult of that level, and if even if he did, he knew very well it wouldn't help him at all.

"Hey!" Professor Helsingborg shouted. "You're not permitted to draw a card right now."

"Who is underestimating who right now?" Rick finally countered. "If you had paid attention then you would've noticed that one of my face-down cards was a Miracle Synchro Fusion. And if this card is destroyed while face-down, I can draw one card."

"I see. Too bad it's my turn" Professor Helsingborg said as his turn started.

"First, I play the magic card Cards for Black Feathers. By removing one Blackwing in my hand from play, I can draw two cards."

Professor Helsingborg discarded Blackwing-Vayu the Emblem of Honor and drew two cards.

_Hmm… Not the best cards. But still good enough to win this duel._

"Blackwing-Armed Wing, attack his last line of defense."

"Lucky for me my monster's in defense mode. So I won't lose any life points" Rick argued.

"However, since your monster is defending my bird's ability activates. If he attacks a monster in defense mode, his attack increases with 500."

**Blackwing-Armed Wing: ATK 2300 + 500 = 2800**

"So, does that make any difference?"

"Normally, no. But that's why my bird has two abilities. You see, if he attacks a defensive monster with a defense lower than his attack, the difference is subtracted from your Life Points."

"Oh no!" Rick shouted as the bird pierced his monster with a giant spear.

"Nevertheless, I should thank you for destroying my monster because when Apprentice Magician is destroyed I can summon a level two or lower Spellcaster from my deck in face-down defense mode. And I choose Night's End Sorcerer" Rick explained.

"Admirable" Professor Helsingborg said. "But you're still paying a high price for it."

**LP Rick: 7300 – 2000 = 5300**

**Blackwing-Armed Wing: ATK 2800 – 500 = 2300**

"I'm definitely willing to" Rick said back as he saw his Life Points decrease.

"Then I set one face-down card and end my turn."

"My turn" Rick declared as he drew a card.

"Go ahead" Professor Helsingborg challenged.

"First, I flip summon my Night's End Sorcerer" Rick announced.

The hologram of the card turned around, and a boy sitting on a grave, while surrounded by a bunch of bats was revealed. He was clothed darkly and held a scythe in both hands.

**Night's End Sorcerer: (Lv2, Spellcaster, ATK 1300 DEF 400)**

"Next, I summon Magical Exemplar."

Declaring so, a grey-haired woman wearing a green robe arrived and accompanied the boy and his vampires. It was hard to tell whether she was young or old, but she at least looked rather wise and reliable.

**Magical Exemplar: (Lv4, Spellcaster ATK 1700 DEF 1400)**

"And now, I'll play the key spell of my deck. The field magic, Magical Citadel of Endymion."

The crowd who was looking at this match, which was everyone because this was the last match of the day, was impressed as there appeared an entire village that covered the whole field. Numerous buildings, giving the feeling of a magical kingdom, surrounded the two duelists. Then again, since it was the last battle, most people had already finished their exam and thought there was no reason to stay, so there were at most fifteen people watching.

"What is the meaning of this buildings?" Professor Helsingborg asked surprised. Despite knowing a number of cards, he was unfamiliar with this one.

"Providing Spell Counters for me" Rick explained. "That's the strength I rely on. However, These monsters won't need it anymore because I'm going to tune them into the more impressive Explosive Magician."

Just like with Professor Helsingborg's monsters earlier, the boy holding the scythe transformed into two green circles that went across the green-dressed maiden. Another beam of light surged through the field, and a new sorcerer, wearing a white robe with a few touches of gold.

**Explosive Magician: (Lv6, Spellcaster, ATK 2500 DEF 1800)**

"So you can synchro summon as well" Hans started. "But even if your monster is stronger than mine, you can't ignore my trap."

"I wasn't ignoring it" Rick said. "I play the magic card Spell Power Grasp. This card allows me to give a Spell Counter to one card on my field. And I choose Magical Citadel of Endymion. Also, since I played a magic card, my 'Citadel' gains another counter, bringing him to two. And if that isn't enough, I can also take another Spell Power Grasp from my deck and put it in my hand."

Suddenly, the tower in the middle of the village started to glow, much to the surprise of the spectators.

"How does this help you to get rid of my trap?"

"As I said, the 'Citadel' is the key card of my deck. Since my deck depends on Spell Counters, I can store them in my 'Citadel' until I need them. Which is now. Explosive Magician, 'Lightning Spell'" Rick ordered.

The white-clothed wizard casted a spell which created a lightning bolt so powerful that it shattered Professor Helsingborg's face-down card and caused a blackout in the village.

"My Black Sonic!" Professor Helsingborg exclaimed. "What did you do?"

"In exchange for two Spell Counters on the field, Explosive Magician can destroy one spell or trap card on the field" Rick explained.

_And this guy was worried he wouldn't be accepted because he isn't good enough_ Ilian thought. _But can he keep dueling at this level?_

"And just so you know, I'm not done yet. Explosive Magician, attack Blackwing-Armed Wing with 'White Lightning Spell'."

The magician casted another spell. Raising his right hand, he caused another lightning bolt that obliterated the humanoid bird across him.

_It seems that I wasn't too serious about this duel. But he hasn't won yet _Helsingborg thought as his Life Points decreased.

**LP Professor Helsingborg: 7800 – 200 = 7600**

"And that ends my turn."

"Which means mine starts now" Professor Helsingborg declared as he drew a card, making a total of four cards in his hand.

"I'll start by summoning Blackwing-Sirocco the Dawn."

Another bird made an appearance on the battlefield. It was, however, hard to tell whether this was an actual winged beast, or a human disguised as one. Granted, a beak and black wings were visible, but his build looked more like a human than an animal. Moreover, a mouth was visible from within that beak.

**Blackwing-Sirocco the Dawn: (Lv5, Winged Beast, ATK 2000 DEF 900)**

"How can you normal summon a level five monster without any tributes?" Rick demanded.

"Because you control a monster and I don't" Professor Helsingborg explained calmly. "But this is only the beginning. I special summon Blackwing-Gale The Whirlwind in attack mode."

Next to the humanoid bird, a smaller bird descended. This one had no human features whatsoever. Covered in blue feathers everywhere except for it head, where they were green, he flapped its wings, causing a small breeze.

**Blackwing-Gale the Whirlwind: (Lv3, Winged Beast, ATK 1300 DEF 400)**

"And now I'll use its effect, which lets me halve the attack and defense points of one monster on your side of the field. And I'll choose your Explosive Magician."

This time, it flapped its wings a lot harder. As a result, it wasn't a gentle breeze, but a hurricane that went through the entire arena. It wasn't severe enough to destroy any of the buildings, but it did manage to get the opposing sorcerer on one knee.

**Explosive Magician: ATK 2500 / 2 = 1250 DEF 1800 / 2 = 900**

"Then I'll use 'Sirocco's' ability. This allows me to make the attack power of a Blackwing on my side of the field equal to the total attack power of every Blackwing monster on the field. Therefore, 'Sirocco's' attack now increases with 1300."

**Blackwing-Sirocco the Dawn: ATK 2000 + 1300 = 3300**

"Luckily for you, the other Blackwings can't attack this turn. But that won't stop me from destroying your tiny monster. 'Sirocco', attack with 'Blackwing Unity'."

Using the wings on his back, the human-shaped bird flew high, as high as the clock tower behind Rick. From that height, it flew at a dazzling speed to the magician in white clothes, who was still unable to get up after the hurricane earlier. Needless to say, the impact of those two monsters colliding killed the wizard instantaneously.

**LP Rick: 5300 – 2050 = 3250**

Rick looked at his Duel Disk and saw his Life Points drop to below half the original amount. Along with the fact that he had no monsters, it was clear he was at a disadvantage. But even so, his eyes showed he was having fun.

"It's been a long time since I had an opponent this good" Rick confessed. "However, I won't give up. I'll definitely win and be accepted into the academy."

"Very well. And since I can't do anything else, I end my turn."

"Draw" Rick said.

"I summon Defender the Magical Knight."

Another warrior-like monster joined the fray. He somehwat resembled 'Breaker', except that his armor was mostly blue. Also, this one carried a large shield which looked strong enough to block any attack. The most intriguing thing about it, though, was the red crest in the middle of that shield. Moments after the summon, that crest gave off an immense glow.

**Defender the Magical Knight: (Lv4, Spellcaster, ATK 1600 DEF 2000)**

"When 'Defender' is summo…"

"Let me guess? He gets a Spell Counter which he can use for another effect?" Professor Helsingborg said, slightly annoyed.

"You've already figured that out? You are good. But what if I play the magic card Solidarity?"

Rick was rather impressed by the fact that his tactics were already clear to his opponent, but that was okay. Instead, he inserted another card in his spell card zone, and a hologram of that card appeared vertically, on his right side.

"You see, if Solidarity is played and I have only one type of monster in my grave, all my monsters with the same type gain 800 attack points."

"But that means…" Professor Helsingborg stammered. He knew all too well that Rick so far had only played Spellcaster-type monsters, and that wasn't likely to change. In other words, as long as that card remained on the field, all Rick's monsters would benefit from that card, turning even weak monsters into powerhouses.

"That even the dead ones still can fight."

**Defender the Magical Knight: ATK 1600 + 800 = 2400**

"And if it wasn't enough already, my Citadel gets a Spell Counter since I played a magic card. But that isn't important right now. 'Defender', attack Blackwing-Gale the Whirlwind."

Instantly, the heavily-armored knight ran forward in an attempt to slash his adversary with the sword in his right hand. He swung it as soon as he got into striking distance, only to see that attack get blocked by another bird, using his wings to intercept the attack and disarm the knight clad in blue.

"Just like your monsters, mine also form a team. If a Blackwing is involved in a battle, I can send my Blackwing-Kalut the Moon Shadow to the graveyard from my hand. In exchange, the attack power of the battling Blackwing increases with 1400."

**Blackwing-Gale the Whirlwind: ATK 1300 + 1400 = 2700**

The two birds now launched a combined counterattack. Barely having enough time to take cover behind his large shield, he was assaulted by the birds who crashed against that strong wall at full speed, causing Rick's Life Points to drop again.

**LP Rick: 3250 – 300 = 2950**

"That knight is gone" Helsingborg said, relieved.

"I wouldn't be so sure. That shield is way too hard to destroy with one attack."

To Professor Helsingborg's amazement, Rick was right. Certainly, the crest on the warrior's shield had lost its light, but other than that, no damage was done whatsoever.

"I told you so" Rick explained. "Once per turn, 'Defender' can use a Spell Counter to prevent a Spellcaster from being destroyed. Therefore, by removing the Spell Counter he had, 'Defender' was able to survive that attack."

"And to end my turn, I set one face-down card."

Hans Helsingborg drew a card that widened his eyes.

_This might be just the card to win this duel _he thought.

"I activate the magic card Black Whirlwind."

Putting that card in his Duel Disk, a dark-looking storm went through the field. Since the storm was so intense, Rick had no choice but to close his eyes and guard his face with both arms.

"If the 'Citadel' is your ace, then this is mine" Professor Helsingborg stated. "But don't worry about this card yet. Because I first use 'Gale's' ability to halve your knight's power."

Swinging those blue wings, another tempest surged across the battlefield. For some reason, the knight with the huge shield felt a lot of pressure on his armor, causing him to be unable to stand straight anymore. Kneeling down, he also had severe troubling handling his shield.

**Defender the Magical Knight: ATK 2400 / 2 = 1200 DEF 2000 / 2 = 1000**

"And though 'Defender' can save himself once, he isn't able to do so twice. 'Sirocco', finish him off."

"Not so fast. I still have a card left. Activate trap card Mirror Force."

"No…" Professor Helsingborg shouted.

Instantly, Rick's field was covered by a colorful barrier. The humanoid bird was unable to stop its attack at the high speed it was flying with. Therefore, he crashed right into that barrier. Not only that, the forcefield absorbed the power of the colliding attack and returned a counterattack with equal strength, destroying every bird on Professor Helsingborg's field while leaving the weakened knight unharmed.

"My beautiful birds. But I'm not done yet. I activate the magic card Against The Wind. This card allows me to retrieve one Blackwing in my graveyard and put it in my hand. As a drawback, I lose Life Points equal to the attack power of the selected monster. And the card I choose is Blackwing-Sirocco The Dawn."

Once more, a strong wind could be felt within the Duel Arena. This time, however, it was Professor Helsingborg who had to deal with the impact of it, as he took a card out of his graveyard to add to his hand.

**LP Professor Helsingborg: 7600 – 2000 = 5600**

"And since I didn't summon a monster yet, I will summon it now, Blackwing-Sirocco The Dawn."

For the second time, the humanoid bird (or the human disguised as a bird, it really was hard to tell what it was) descended on the empty half of the field.

**Blackwing-Sirocco the Dawn: (Lv5, Winged Beast, ATK 2000 DEF 900)**

"And my turn still isn't over. Because I activate the effect of Black Whirlwind. When I normal summon a Blackwing monster, I can add one Blackwing to my hand with less attack points than the summoned monster. So I choose Blackwing-Shura the Blue Flame. Turn end."

_In the next turn, I'll summon 'Shura'. Then, by combining my two monsters along with Black Whirlwind, I'll end this duel in my next move._

"My turn, draw" Rick declared.

"I'm sorry, but you'll never be able to use your new monster. At least, not when I use this. I tribute 'Defender' to summon the much stronger Dark Red Enchanter."

The kneeling knight disappeared and a new sorcerer took his place on the field. Wearing a crimson outfit, his shoulder blades had a few golden touches, though. Also, his right hand contained a wand, with the end having a fork-shape and a scarlet orb in the middle of the fork. Needless to say, the orb gave off a strong light.

**Dark Red Enchanter: (Lv6, Spellcaster, ATK 1700 DEF 2300)**

"I don't think the glowing part needs any more explanation? However, my Enchanter gets two Spell Counters when he is summoned, instead of one. And they'll increase his attack with 600."

**Dark Red Enchanter: ATK 1700 + 600 = 2300**

"Now I'll use its second effect. By removing two spell counters from this card, I can discard one card from my opponent's hand. But I can only do this once per turn."

"I think you made a mistake. If you had attacked first and then used its effect, then I would've lost both cards. Now I'll lose my hand but I'll still be able to destroy your monster with Sirocco in my next turn."

The audienced knew this as well. With an attack strength of 2300, Dark Red Enchanter was the strongest monster on the field. However, by giving up two Spell Counters, the attack would decrease to 1700, making him weaker than 'Sirocco'. However...

"That's right. But you forgot two things. One, I have Solidarity so my 'Enchanter' still gets the attack bonus."

**Dark Red Enchanter: ATK 2300 + 800 = 3100**

"And two, I'm not going to waste my 'Enchanter's' counters. I activate the effect of my 'Citadel'. Once per turn, he can substitute his Spell Counters for a cost that requires Spell Counters. So 'Enchanter'…"

The orb now glowed, but the emitted light was darker than before. The magical village, that had stored a lot of magical power already, could be seen transfering some of that strength to the scarlet orb. Then, by releasing that power at once, a crimson beam was fired at the sole card in Professor Helsingborg's hand, causing it to vanish instantly.

"And just so you know, I'm still not done. I activate my Spell Power Grasp to place a Spell Counter on Dark Red Enchanter. And because Spell Power Grasp is a magic card, two Spell Counters are added and I get my last Spell Power Grasp."

**Dark Red Enchanter: ATK 3100 + 300 + 300 = 3700**

"Dark Red Enchanter, attack 'Sirocco'" Rick commanded as he took the last Spell Power Grasp from his deck.

Raising his wand high, the orb once more glowed dark red. Releasing an immense amount of energy from it, a second beam was fired, straight at the black-feathered bird, destroying it at once.

**LP Professor Helsingborg: 5600 – 1700 = 3900 **

_Impossible. One more attack and I might be finished. _At that moment, Hans Helsingborg understood the situation. Looking at the palm of his left hand, he saw his hand was empty. Moreover, he had no monsters and no face-down cards. He only had the spell card Black Whirlwind on his side of the field.

"Turn end."

_If I don't draw a good card I lose… _That thought was an understatement. If he drew a useless card, he would lose in the next turn, without exception.

"Draw."

He felt extremely relieved when he saw his card.

"I summon Blackwing-Zephyros the Elite."

Playing the card he had drawn moments ago, another bird, with the classic black wings, as well as blue feathers on his head, landed in front of him. Except for that, he had a long beak and he wore protective plates around his shoulders.

**Blackwing-Zephyros the Elite: (Lv4, Winged Beast, ATK 1600 DEF 1000)**

"And thanks to Black Whirlwind I can add Blackwing-Breeze the Zephyr to my hand."

Professor Helsingborg picked the card from his deck and immediately placed it on his Duel Disk.

"What are you doing? You already summoned a monster this turn" Rick demanded.

"If Blackwing-Breeze the Zephyr is added to my hand except by drawing it I can special summon it" Hans Helsingborg answered with restored confidence.

A gentle wind could be felt across the field, which was caused by the newly-summoned monster. Contrary to most Blackwings, this one didn't have a single black feather. Instead, his wings were yellow while the rest of his body was covered in orange feathers, making it look much less threatening.

**Blackwing-Breeze the Zephyr: (Lv3, Winged Beast, ATK 1100 DEF 300)**

"And now I synchro summon once again," Professor Helsingborg went on. "I tune my two Blackwings into each other to summon my ace monster, Blackwing-Armored Master."

For the third time, one could see a monster changing into a number of green circles, this covering the black-feathered, long-beaked bird. They disappeared, and a new monster showed itself. Compared to every other winged-beast so far, this particular one was even darker than the others. Six pitch-black wings, as well as dark armor covering its legs, its arms and shoulders.

**Blackwing-Armor Master: (Lv7, Winged Beast, ATK 2500 DEF 1500)**

"Blackwing-Armor Master, attack Dark Red Enchanter."

"But that will result in a suicide for your monster."

"We'll find out soon enough."

Announcing the attack sign, the black-armored creature leapt forward at an astounding speed, colliding with the crimson-clothed wizard who used his magical prowess to cast a defensive barrier. The collision caused some smoke, making it impossible to see the outcome of the battle.

As the smoke finally cleared, Dark Red Enchanter was unharmed.

"You just wasted your best card for nothing. Why?"

However, a few tiny feathers could be seen falling onto the mage's shoulders. He tried to brush them off with his hands, but they wouldn't go away no matter how hard he tried.

And out of nothing, Blackwing-Armor Master survived the battle somehow. Soaring through the sky, there was no visible damage, and he landed on the exact spot where his attack began.

"How is all of this possible?" Rick couldn't help but be astonished by this development. His monster was clearly the stronger one, yet it wasn't able to win a one-on-one.

"First of all, Blackwing-Armor Master can't be destroyed by battle and I don't take damage from a battle involving him. Also, if Blackwing-Armor Master battles a monster, he leaves a Wedge Counter on the battling monster" He said, pointing at the feathers on Dark Red Enchanter's shoulders. "And once per turn, he can remove the Wedge Counters to decrease the attack of the affected monsters to zero."

"You mean he can destroy everything but nothing can destroy him?" _That's a powerful card._

"Exactly, but lucky for you I can't do anything else this turn. So go ahead. Perhaps it is your last turn."

_I can't believe it. Even after coming this far, I'm still going to lose? In that case, let's at least look at my next card._

"Draw."

Rick looked at the drawn card and realized the duel was over.

"This is the last turn of the duel" Rick stated.

The crowd was amazed by the sudden call so was Professor Helsingborg.

"Impossible."

"But it is. First, I summon another copy of Magical Exemplar in attack mode."

A second copy of the green-dressed, female sorceress made its way to the field, taking place next to the crimson-clothed wizard.

"Next, I play my last copy of Spell Power Grasp and I'll give the Spell Counter to my 'Citadel'. And since I played a magic card, all my cards get a Spell Counter. And Magical Exemplar even gains two counters."

"But what's the point of doing this. You still have no cards to destroy my monster."

"And I won't need those. Now I activate Magical Exemplar's ability. By removing a number of spell counters on this card I can summon a Spellcaster from my graveyard with a level equal to the number of removed counters. And I remove two spell counters to resurrect Night's End Sorcerer."

The golden chains the female wizard had attached to her robe gave off a strong light. Using that power, she was able to revive the boy with the scythe. He emerged on the battlefield, in front of the two other magicians, still accompanied by a hoard of bats.

**Night's End Sorcerer: (Lv2, Spellcaster, ATK 1300 DEF 400)**

"But these monsters will be used for my synchro summon. I'll tune Magical Exemplar with Night's End Sorcerer into Tempest Magician" Rick announced.

By now, it had become a common scene, but the scythe and the floating bats changed into two green circles, enveloping the female mage, effectively turning into a new monster. Interestingly enough, this new female magician had an appearance resembling, no, identical to that of Magical Exemplar, safe for her dress, which was now deep blue. Moreover, she wielded the exact same scyhte Night's End Sorcerer had, and she too, was surrounded by bats. If one didn't know better, this monster could easily be mistaken for a fusion between the two aforementioned monsters, rather than a synchro.

**Tempest Magician: (Lv6, Spellcaster, ATK 2200 DEF 1400)**

"And now I'll end this match. Tempest Magician, activate 'Tempest Burn'."

The magical village Rick and Professor Helsingborg were in, had by now accumulated a lot of power, causing the town to have become more vivid. However, in an instant, all life in the village, as well as the strength of the scarlet-armored wizard adjacent to her, disappeared, gathering in the blade of that transparent scythe.

"What is 'Tempest Burn'?", Helsingborg asked surprised.

"Once per turn, Tempest Magician can remove all spell counters on the field."

"But isn't that useless?"

"Not really, because for every removed spell counter Tempest Magician inflicts 500 points of direct damage to your Life Points. And with ten spell counters removed…"

As a result of the large amount of gathered power, the blade had lost its transparency, becoming pitch-black. Then, she released all the stored energy at once, causing huge dark flames to cover the headmaster of Odin Palace.

"I lose. Impossible!"

"Go Tempest Burn."

**LP Professor Helsingborg: 3900 – 500 * 10 = 0**

Shutting down their Duel Disks, the holograms vanished at once, returning the scenery back to the classic arena. The audience that remained until the very end, was pleased with watching the interesting duel. Seeing everything end, they too left the building.

"Well professor, do you think I passed the test?"

Professor Helsingborg walked to Rick, again extending him a hand.

"Rick, in accordance to the rules of the entrance exam, you passed the exam and are hereby accepted to the European Duel Academy. Further information will be sent via mail as soon as possible."

Rick just smiled and nodded as an agreement. Nothing could make his day any better anymore. Whatever happened right now, there was only one thing on his mind.

_I've made it. Duel Academy, here I come._

* * *

><p><strong>Rick: <strong>"It seems I'm put in Loki Mansion."

**Ilian: **"You as well. What is Loki Mansion actually?"

**Max: **"You don't know? Let me explain what life is on this island."

**Rick: **"I rather want to duel against someone. And who are you by the way?"

**Max: **"I'll tell everything as soon as you arrive at the Academy."

**Rick: **"Why don't we just do a triangle duel?"

**Max: **"I have to duel?"

**Ilian: **"Next on _Yu-Gi-Oh European Duel Academy_: **'Showdown at Loki's'**."

**Ilian: **"Also, you don't want to duel, Max?"


	2. Showdown At Loki's

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or anything designed by their original creator. I do own every character and card I created myself. (If I ever create those.)

AN: If you're reading this chapter you've also read the first chapter and you might think it's bad. Nevertheless, it will be better.

A boat sailed slowly to its destination.

Although there wasn't much to see at the deck, many people stared to the sea and waited eagerly for the boat to arrive.

Some of them just talked to each other while others enjoyed relaxing in the early morning.

However, one guy just stared to his deck until he saw an island appearing behind the mist.

_This will be my new home. And I'm going to make the most of it. This might be the most exciting challenge ever _Rick thought.

* * *

><p><strong>Yu-Gi-Oh European Duel Academy<strong>

**Turn Two: Showdown At Loki's **

* * *

><p>As soon as everyone arrived at the island, they all had to report themselves so they could be assigned to their respective dorm.<p>

Although everyone preferred to explore the island, they first had to listen to their welcoming speech.

"Good morning. My name is Leon Von Schroeder. As some of you might know, my brother owns the building and the island. However, I'm the principal of this academy. Now my assistants will assign you upon your test results. If they call your name, step forward and they'll explain everything. Furthermore, I hope you'll enjoy your stay at our academy and do your best in all circumstances."

* * *

><p>After the assignments Rick went to his dorm. He now wore a purple uniform as a symbol of his dorm.<p>

Rick's new Duel Disk was purple with some blue edges. Moreover, this Duel Disk contained two more rooms for the extra deck and for the removed from play cards.

When Rick arrived at his dorm he was surprised by the size of it. Although it wasn't the biggest, he expected way worse. Rick decided to enter and search for his room.

When Rick entered his room he recognized someone.

"Ilian?" he asked.

"Rick, what are the odds? I didn't expect you here" Ilian welcomed him.

"So you did win your duel against that examinator. Was he hard?"

"Not really. But he didn't use his best deck to face me."

"Nevertheless, you still did a great job if you ask me."

Suddenly a door opened and another guy came in the room.

"Who are you?" Rick asked.

The red-haired guy was surprised by the fact someone asked him something.

"My name is Max" he replied.

"Do you also live in this room?" Ilian asked.

"Yeah. I just wished I was a student at Odin Palace."

"'Odin Palace'?" Rick and Ilian became confused.

"You don't realize how everything works, right? Well, let me explain. Just as in the regular Duel Academy, students are assigned in a dorm based on their skills. Odin Palace is the dorm with the best future duelists of Europe. Thor Castle is second ranked and contains quite skilled duelists. And last of all is Loki Mansion. People say this is a dorm for dueling amateurs only."

"How do you know all of this?" Ilian still didn't understood.

"It's complicated."

"Why don't we just duel?"

"No", Rick complained. "We should triangle duel."

"Me…duel?" Max stammered.

"Why not?" Ilian became enthusiast. "A duel might be the solution of your problem. And besides, it's just fun."

"Sure" Max sighed.

* * *

><p>In front of Loki Mansion three duelists stared at each other and looked eagerly.<p>

"Okay. Since this is a triangle duel, no one is allowed to attack in the first turn. You can attack and cooperate with a partner if you like as long as you follow the rules" Rick explained.

"DUEL" they all shouted in unison.

"I'll go first," Ilian declared. "And I summon Batteryman AA."

A small orange battery entered the field.

**Batteryman AA: (lv3, Thunder, ATK 0 DEF 0)**

"That card has no attack or defense points" Max exclaimed.

"That wouldn't be fair," Ilian responded. "Batteryman AA gets 1000 attack points for each card with the same name in attack mode, including itself."

The battery started to work and caused some electric shocks.

**Batteryman AA: ATK 0 + 1000 = 1000**

"Then I activate the magic card Wattcine," Ilian went on. "And I'll finish my turn by setting one card."

"It seems I'm next," Max concluded. "I summon Command Knight."

A female warrior with red clothes glared at the battery.

**Command Knight: (lv4, Warrior, ATK 1200 DEF 1900)**

"And thanks to her effect every warrior gets a 400 attack point bonus."

**Command Knight: ATK 1200 + 400 = 1600**

"Then I play the magic card Double Summon. As the card name indicates, I can summon another monster this turn. So I summon another Command Knight."

The Warriors both looked at each other and smiled.

"And with two Command Knight's both monsters have 2000 attack points."

**Command Knight: ATK 1600 + 400 = 2000**

**Command Knight: ATK 1200 + 400 + 400 = 2000**

"What!", Rick exclaimed. "Two high-attack monsters on your first turn."

"They might beat you. However, I end my turn."

"Okay, I summon Defender The Magical Knight."

'_That card.' With him he can build a powerful defense if he gets the chance_, Ilian mused.

**Defender The Magical Knight: (lv4, Spellcaster, ATK 1600 DEF 2000)**

"Now I activate my ace card, Magical Citadel Of Endymion."

_He's using the same strategy as in his duel against Professor Helsingborg._

"I could explain the effects, but instead I set one card and end my turn."

"Then I summon another Batteryman AA. And you know what that means. Now I also have two monsters with 2000 attack points."

Lightning bolts hit the field as the second battery appeared.

**Batteryman AA: ATK 1000 + 1000 = 2000**

**Batteryman AA: ATK 0 + 1000 + 1000 = 2000**

Rick was impressed by the four 2000 attack monsters but only laughed.

"It seems it was a useless effort. Activate trap card, Torrential Tribute."

"That super rare card?" Max shouted.

"Exactly. When a monster is summoned, it destroys every monster on the field."

"No!" Ilian yelled.

A huge tidal wave dragged everything away. But in the end, the Defender remained unharmed.

"Why isn't your monster destroyed?" Max asked.

"Because of his ability", Rick explained. "Once per turn, Defender can remove spell counters from my cards to prevent destruction from a Spellcaster."

"Clever move", Ilian admitted. "Then I suppose I just end my turn here."

"Then I'll draw", Max said. "And I summon Marauding Captain."

A blonde-haired warrior emerged and took his swords.

**Marauding Captain: (lv3, Warrior, ATK 1200 DEF 400)**

"If Marauding Captain is normal summoned, I can special summon another monster from my hand so I summon another Marauding Captain."

Another warrior appeared and accompanied his comrade.

"And if I control two Marauding Captains, no monster on my field can be attacked since they're the first target. Next, I play the magic card, The A. Forces. Now every Warrior I control gets 200 attack points for every Warrior or Spellcaster I control."

**Marauding Captain: ATK 1200 + 400 = 1600**

**Marauding Captain: ATK 1200 + 400 = 1600**

_Permanent attack increasing and I can't attack them. This doesn't look good _Rick thought.

"Marauding Captain, attack Ilian."

"Not so fast. I activate my face-down Limit Reverse. Now I can special summon a monster from my graveyard with 1000 or less attack points. So return, Batteryman AA."

**Batteryman AA: ATK 1000**

"Nice try, but my monster is still stronger than yours so…"

"I wouldn't be too sure. Activate Honest."

A large-winged fairy appeared and made Batteryman AA glow really bright.

"If a light monster battles, I can use Honest from my hand to increase my attack with yours" Ilian told.

**Batteryman AA: ATK 1000 + 1600 = 2600**

"My captain" Max shouted as he destroyed himself.

**LP Max: 8000 – 1000 = 7000**

**Marauding Captain: ATK 1600 – 200 = 1400**

"And that isn't everything", Ilian continued. "If a Thunder monster inflicts battle damage to your Life Points, my Life Points increase with the same amount."

**LP Ilian: 8000 + 1000 = 9000**

"I'm just the worst duelist at the island" Max sighed.

"No you're not", Rick comforted him. "You just made a small mistake. That's all."

"Then I end my turn."

**Batteryman AA: ATK 2600 – 1600 = 1000**

"Draw" Rick declared.

"I'll summon Breaker The Magical Warrior."

**Breaker The Magical Warrior: (lv4, Spellcaster, ATK 1600 DEF 1000)**

_Another one of those cards. Why does he draw everything when he needs it?_

"If he is normal summoned, Breaker gets a spell counter which increases his attack with 300."

**Breaker The Magical Warrior: ATK 1600 + 300 = 1900**

"And now, Breaker, attack Batteryman AA."

The warrior simply destroyed the battery with his sword.

**LP Ilian: 9000 – 900 = 8100**

"Defender, attack that Marauding Captain."

The knights attacked each other intensively but the captain was no match for the armored knight.

**LP Max: 7000 – 200 = 6800**

"And now I remove Breaker's spell counter to destroy The A. Forces."

**Breaker The Magical Warrior: ATK 1900 – 300 = 1600**

"And that ends my turn."

"Not bad. But how will you beat this?" Ilian asked Rick as he drew his card.

"Show me" Rick replied.

"First I activate the magic card Battery Charger. In exchange for 500 Life Points I can summon a Batteryman from my graveyard. So return, Batteryman AA.

**LP Ilian: 8100 – 500 = 7600**

**Batteryman AA: ATK 1000**

"What's the goal of summoning this card over and over again?" Max wondered.

"He's necessary for my next monster. Because I will tribute him to summon Super-Electromagnetic Voltech Dragon."

A mechanical dragon arrived and started to grow immensely.

**Super-Electromagnetic Voltech Dragon: (lv5, Thunder, ATK 2400 DEF 1000)**

"Why is he growing so fast?" Rick worried.

"I told you Batteryman AA was important. By tributing Batteryman AA for him my monster gets 1000 additional attack points."

"No way!" Rick and Max shouted.

**Super-Electromagnetic Voltech Dragon: ATK 2400 + 1000 = 3400**

"And now I'll attack…"

_Who shall I attack? If I attack Max he'll be almost eliminated and my Life Points will become 11000. However, Rick hasn't received any damage yet and the longer I wait the stronger he gets. That settles it._

"Voltech Dragon, attack Defender with 'Electro Balls'."

The knight shielded himself in order to survive the assault of the dragon. Nevertheless, his shield was still damaged from the attack.

**LP Rick: 8000 – 1800 = 6200**

"It seems you showed me your big move like you said. But will it be enough?"

"Perhaps. However, my Life Points still increase thanks to Wattcine."

**LP Ilian: 7600 + 1800 = 9400**

_The combination of those cards can cause some real trouble. That dragon will keep damaging us and his Life Points will raise to unknown heights _Rick concluded.

"And that will do for now. Max, your turn."

Max drew and became astounded for a moment.

"I…I…I set a monster and end my turn" Max stammered.

"Then it seems it's my turn. Draw" Rick announced.

"I summon Geomancer Of The Ice Barrier."

A girl wearing a blue dress emerged while a mirror covered her face.

**Geomancer Of The Ice Barrier: (lv3, Spellcaster, ATK 800 DEF 1200)**

"And before you all ask for an explanation of this card I tune my Geomancer into Breaker to synchro summon Arcanite Magician."

A new magician with a white costume arrived and made his wand glow.

**Arcanite Magician: (lv7, Spellcaster, ATK 400 DEF 1800)**

"Why do you summon such a monster in attack mode? It barely has an attack" Ilian wondered.

"Do you notice his wand? Because it contains his spell counters. For each spell counter he holds, he gets 1000 attack points. And since he has two of them…"

**Arcanite Magician: ATK 400 + 1000 * 2 = 2400**

"Is that all? He still isn't a match for my dragon at all" Ilian said.

"You think so? Arcanite Magician, activate 'Arcanite Explosion'."

Arcanite Magician's wand started to glow so bright that nothing but a white light could be seen. And when the light was gone, so was the Voltech Dragon.

"Where is my dragon?", Ilian demanded.

"I just proved you wrong. By removing one spell counter on my field, Arcanite Magician can destroy a card on my opponent's field", Rick clarified.

"But you're Citadel holds like so many spell counters it can erase all our fields" Ilian gasped.

"Actually, I ran out of spell counters for now, so I activate Spell Power Grasp to give Arcanite Magician a spell counter. And that also means his attack goes up to 3400."

**Arcanite Magician: ATK 2400 + 1000 = 3400**

"Next I add another Power Grasp to my hand to secure myself of having enough spell counters."

"And I haven't attacked so Arcanite Magician, attack Ilian."

The magician's wand started to glow again and fired a light beam in Ilian's direction which caused him to fall on the ground.

**LP Ilian: 9400 – 3400 = 6000**

"Now Defender, attack Max's monster."

Defender took his sword and killed some purple-armored samurai with it.

"And that ends my turn", Rick declared.

"My turn", Ilian announced.

"I just set a monster and a face-down card."

"My turn" Max said.

"First I summon The Immortal Bushi from the graveyard in defense mode."

"From the graveyard?" Rick asked.

"Exactly. If I don't control any monsters and my graveyard only contains Warrior-type monsters, he can be special summoned from the graveyard during my Standby Phase."

The samurai appeared once again with crossed swords while kneeling on one leg.

**The Immortal Bushi: (lv3, Warrior, ATK 1200 DEF 600)**

"Also, I set another monster before ending my turn."

"I see. Then I guess it's my turn. Draw."

"I summon Alchemist Of Black Spells in attack mode."

A guy with a covered face and a book in his hands arrived came out of the Citadel.

**Alchemist Of Black Spells: (lv4, Spellcaster, ATK 1200 DEF 1800)**

"And as you might've expected, I activate another Spell Power Grasp and give Arcanite Magician another spell counter."

The magician's wand started to glow brighter and brighter as Rick took the last Spell Power Grasp from his deck.

**Arcanite Magician: ATK 3400 + 1000 = 4400**

"Now I use Arcanite's effect to destroy your face-down card, Ilian."

The magician fired a light beam but as everything went normal, nothing happened.

"What happened? Why isn't your card destroyed?"

"Because I activated it", Ilian explained. "My Quick Charger allowed me to add 2 level 4 or lower Batteryman from my graveyard to my hand. So now I have my two Batteryman AA back."

"Clever move," Rick smiled. "That makes this duel so much more fun. However, since you activated a magic card, my Citadel gets a spell counter. And you know what that means, right? Arcanite Magician, destroy Ilian's monster."

Another light beam was fired and this time, a really small, pink battery was erased from the field.

"And since there are no traps on the field, you can't stop me. Alchemist, attack The Immortal Bushi."

The Alchemist casted a spell strong enough to pulverize the samurai.

"But I'm not done yet. Defender, attack Ilian directly."

Once more, the Defender used his sword to attack. However, this time his opponent was defenseless.

**LP Ilian: 6000 – 1600 = 4400**

_This looks really bad for me. If I'm attacked by Arcanite Magician my Life Points will hit 0. Also, if he would attack Max's monster The Immortal Bushi would come back instead. Where did it go wrong? _Ilian started to panic.

"And to finish you off, Arcanite Magician, attack Ilian."

Arcanite Magician raised his wand before firing a light beam so powerful that it annihilated Ilian's complete field.

**LP Ilian: 4400 – 4400 = 0**

After receiving such a powerful attack, Ilian fell on one knee but still smiled.

"That was a great duel. It seems I have to practice a lot before I can beat you" Ilian said.

"Well, I haven't won yet. I mean, Max has more Life Points than me so…"

"You think that matters? You have a monster with the ability to kill me in the next turn", Max complained.

"Don't give up now. You can still win."

"Yeah Max. Rick's right. He hasn't won at all."

"All right. I'll try", Max sighed.

"Okay, back to the duel. I put my Alchemist in defense mode…"

"What!" Max interrupted. "You're not allowed to do that with a monster that attacked in the same turn."

"I know. But thanks to his ability he can change to defense position to give a spell counter to a card on my field. And I choose Arcanite Magician."

**Arcanite Magician: ATK 4400 + 1000 = 5400**

"Now he has over 5000 attack points. That's insane!" Ilian exclaimed.

"Unfortunately, I have to end my turn."

"Draw" Max said.

_No, not this card. Why did I even put it in my deck? _Max thought to himself.

"I set one card and then I end my turn" he said, still surprised about the he drawed.

"Draw", Rick started his turn.

"First, I change my Alchemist back to attack mode. Next, I play my last Spell Power Grasp and give Arcanite Magician another spell counter."

**Arcanite Magician: ATK 5400 + 1000 = 6400**

"Then I remove two spell counters to destroy your face-down cards.

Arcanite Magician fired two light beams. The first one destroyed a blond-haired girl but the second one was stopped by a magical barrier.

"I activate my Threatening Roar. Now you can't attack me this turn."

"Not bad. Then I'll put my Alchemist back in defense mode to give Arcanite Magician a spell counter."

**Arcanite Magician: ATK 6400 + 1000 = 7400**

"And I'll end my turn."

_Although I'm winning this much, something just isn't right. It's like he isn't playing at full strength_, Rick thought.

"Draw."

_Another one of those cards. I'm just not worthy of them._

"I just set the card I drawed. Your turn."

"Max. Before I draw I want to ask you something. Are you dueling me at full strength?"

Max didn't answer but just looked down.

"I see. Then I'll end this duel in this turn."

_I'm afraid Max might not be able to survive this turn if Rick makes such a statement,_ Ilian worried.

"First, I'll put my Alchemist back in attack mode. Next, he'll attack your Immortal Bushi."

Like before, the Alchemist casted a spell and erased him.

"And now I'll finish this with Arcanite Magician. 'Arcane Destruction'."

One last time the magician raised his wand and illuminated the entire field before everything disappeared.

**LP Max: 6800 – 7400 = 0**

When everything went normal again, Max lied down on the ground, looking depressed.

"You're quite good, Rick" Ilian said.

Rick just sighed and went to Max.

"You put up a great fight. You sure can duel."

"Please don't make fun of me. You know I'm a horrible duelist."

"Not at all. But what where those cards you didn't play during the duel?"

Max took his face-down card and the card in his hand before giving them to Rick.

"Spirit Force and Rose, Warrior Of Revenge!", Rick exclaimed. "You didn't play at your best, right."

"You don't get it" Max said sad.

"Why didn't you used these cards in our duel?" Ilian asked.

"She just says I'm not good enough to use my synchro monsters."

"Who is 'she'?" Rick became confused.

"My sister, Emma" Max started. "It's the reason why I went to this school."

"Explain us?" Ilian asked.

"A few years ago, my parents gave me some new cards for my deck. Some of those cards were 'Colossal Fighter', 'Rose, Warrior Of Revenge', and 'Spirit Force'. Of course I was happy with my new cards. So I challenged Emma to a duel. However, she defeated me so bad and told me I wasn't good enough to have such powerful cards until I'm a student at Odin Palace. But in this condition I'll never be able to use this cards."

"Then we're going to help you until you're good enough to use your cards" Rick said.

"No, you can't. If she finds out I'm using my special cards she'll definitely challenge me to a duel and take all my cards away."

"It's quite impossible she finds out while she's at her home" Ilian said.

"Actually, she's a second-year at Odin Palace and even there she's one of the top duelists. I mean, 'that' is the reason I came to this school. So I can defeat her. But now I'm too scared to duel her."

"If that's the case, then I will duel her" Rick declared.

"Don't do it. If she defeats you, you might lose your best cards to her" Max said.

"So be it. If I can help a friend then I'm willing to risk my deck for it."

"Then we will cheer for you during your duel" Ilian said.

"Thanks. Emma, I hereby challenge you to duel me, Rick Claeys."

* * *

><p>Close to Loki Mansion a girl was listening to the conversation with full interest.<p>

_So you really think you can defeat me. You don't realize yet what you just said. However, it might be fun to defeat a duelist as weak as you. Well, hereby Emma Weller accepts your pathetic challenge._

* * *

><p><strong>Max: <strong>"The day has come Rick will duel my sister."

**Rick: **"But what happened between you both?"

**Ilian: **"Who knows? But now you're the one in trouble."

**Rick: **"What do you mean? It's just a duel."

**Max: **"She can be really intimidating. And you might lose your best cards."

**Ilian: **"Also, it seems her ace will be summoned really quickly."

**Max: **"That might be a real problem. But I don't think Rick realizes it yet."

**Ilian: **"Next on _Yu-Gi-Oh European Duel Academy_: **'The Cold-Hearted Venus'**."

**Rick: **"Why do you always say the title of the next episode?"


	3. The Cold Hearted Venus

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or anything designed by their original creators. I do own every character and card I created myself. (I'm not sure whether I'll create a card or not.)

* * *

><p>"A few years ago, my parents gave me some new cards for my deck. Some of those cards were 'Colossal Fighter', 'Rose, Warrior Of Revenge', and 'Spirit Force'. Of course I was happy with my new cards. So I challenged Emma to a duel. However, she defeated me so bad and told me I wasn't good enough to have such powerful cards until I'm a student at Odin Palace. But in this condition I'll never be able to use this cards."<p>

"Then we're going to help you until you're good enough to use your cards" Rick said.

"No, you can't. If she finds out I'm using my special cards she'll definitely challenge me to a duel and take all my cards away."

"It's quite impossible she finds out while she's at her home" Ilian said.

"Actually, she's a second-year at Odin Palace and even there she's one of the top duelists. I mean, 'that' is the reason I came to this school. So I can defeat her. But now I'm too scared to duel her."

"If that's the case, then I will duel her" Rick declared.

"Don't do it. If she defeats you, you might lose your best cards to her" Max said.

"So be it. If I can help a friend then I'm willing to risk my deck for it."

"Then we will cheer for you during your duel" Ilian said.

"Thanks. Emma, I hereby challenge you to duel me, Rick Claeys."

* * *

><p>Close to Loki Mansion a girl was listening to the conversation with full interest.<p>

_So you really think you can defeat me. You don't realize yet what you just said. However, it might be fun to defeat a duelist as weak as you. Well, hereby Emma Weller accepts your pathetic challenge._

* * *

><p><strong>Yu-Gi-Oh European Duel Academy<strong>

**Turn Three: The Cold-Hearted Venus**

* * *

><p>Since the triangle duel between Max, Ilian and Rick a week passed. Today, Professor Helsingborg gave a class about the different types of monsters.<p>

"Can anyone tell me how many monster-types there are in this game?"

Several hands went up. However, Rick just kept thinking about his coming duel with Emma.

_Who is she actually? I mean, she's an Odinian, but I don't have the slightest clue what she may look like._

"Could you give me the answer perhaps, Rick?"

"Huh? What was the question again?" Rick answered, not realizing he wasn't paying attention.

"I see. Well, come to me after class. Besides, there are 22 types of monsters in the current game."

The rest of the time Rick tried to listen to the lesson but still couldn't succeed.

After class, Rick tried to sneak out but was stopped by Professor Helsingborg.

"Where do you think you're going to? I said we would talk after class."

"Sure," Rick sighed. "Is it just about today's behavior or…?"

"For some reason you seemed distracted. Is something bothering you or are you just tired?"

"To be honest," Rick started. "I was wondering if I could duel an Odinian tomorrow?"

Professor Helsingborg was quite dumbfounded. "An Odinian? Someone specific or just a random one?"

"Emma Weller," he stated.

Hearing the name 'Emma Weller' Professor Helsingborg's mouth felt wide open. He putted his hands in his brown hair, adjusted his glasses and asked: "Emma Weller?"

"Exactly. I was wondering whether I could duel her and how I should challenge her."

"I don't know whether you realizes it or not, but Ms. Weller is one of our top-class duelists and the best girl of the entire school. Why on Earth would you challenge her?"

"You see, a week ago I dueled my roommates in a triangle duel. One of them is Emma's brother and he didn't play at full strength because she forbid him to use his rare cards."

"And you think you can solve this with a duel against her?"

"Who knows? I'm willing to do everything to help my friends" Rick said determined.

"Why didn't you already challenge her? Why do you need my permission?"

"As you said, she's an Odinian. They would just say I'm insane or something."

"I see. All right. I will try to arrange a duel between you two. If she accepts your challenge I'll let you know. You can go."

"Thank you" Rick said politely.

* * *

><p>"You didn't!" Ilian exclaimed.<p>

"This is really bad," Max started to worry. "If she accepts your challenge, you would make a fool of yourself."

"Calm down, Max. I assure nothing will happen."

"Rick's right. It's just a duel."

"No it isn't. It starts like a duel. However, once you're in the middle of it, she starts to intimidate you. And though it sounds like nothing, she can easily make you doubt yourself."

"So you think I shouldn't duel? But I'm trying to help you."

"I don't want to take the risk. How much you want to help me, it is my problem so I have to deal with it."

Suddenly, something started to buzz.

"Rick, I think you have a message or something", Ilian interrupted the discussion.

"A message?" Rick wondered as he picked up his PDA.

"It is from Professor Helsingborg. That means he talked to Emma."

Rick opened the message. It said the following:

_Rick_

_I just talked to Ms. Weller about your proposal. She accepts your challenge._

_The two of you will duel tomorrow after class at the School Arena._

_Sincerely, Professor Helsingborg, head of Odin Department_

"So she is going to duel you. This will be exciting" Ilian became impressed.

"The School Arena. Does that mean everybody is coming to watch our duel?"

"I hope not. You might embarrass yourself in front of the entire school" Max responded worried.

"So be it. She accepted my challenge so I can't back down anymore."

"I know. But I don't want you to humiliate yourself in an attempt to help me."

"Perhaps it is better if we don't think about it anymore," Ilian concluded. "Tomorrow is an important day and you might want to prepare for it."

"Then we might as well go to sleep" Rick proposed.

* * *

><p>At night, Emma sat in her room thinking about her future duel.<p>

_What do you want to achieve with this duel, Rick? And more importantly, do you think you have a chance of beating me? After all, I know what kind of deck you use._

* * *

><p>The following day, Rick woke up before the rest did.<p>

He walked to the window and stared to the main building of the island.

_Emma, why did you accept my challenge? And what happened between you and Max? Whatever it might be, I'm going to find out through this duel. I'll beat you for sure, that's my promise._

"Good morning" Ilian said, interrupting Rick's thoughts.

"Hey" Rick responded, a bit absent.

"Still thinking about your duel?"

"It's just... I'm wondering why your own sister would destroy your confidence."

"Maybe they have a complicated history? If their parents would be divorced or something, it might be traumatizing."

Meanwhile, Max went to the door and listened carefully.

"I think it's something different. I don't know what it is, but I'll find out."

"Where is Max by the way?" Ilian asked. "Is he still sleeping?"

"I think this duel is way more confusing for him than it will be for me? After all, I just duel someone, but for Max this duel can affect his entire life."

"So where can he be?"

In the meantime, Max left Loki Mansion and went to the edge of the island. He putted himself down on a rock and stared to the ocean.

_Why did it have to come this far? The more they want to help me, the more problems it might cause. On the other hand, they're just trying to help me. But why are they paying for my problems? If that's the case, I should at least try to help them. But how?_

* * *

><p>During class, Rick still failed to pay attention. How hard he tried, he just kept thinking about everything.<p>

"So is someone able to tell me how to Synchro Summon?"

A few hands went up, but Rick didn't even noticed Professor Helsingborg asked a question.

"A Synchro Summon requires a tuner and at least one non-tuner monster on your field. Then you send them to the graveyard to summon a Synchro Monster with a level equal to the combined levels of the used monsters" Ilian answered.

"Quite good. This class is over. You can all go."

As soon as everyone left, Rick also tried to leave but was once again stopped by Professor Helsingborg.

"Can I talk to you for a second?" he asked interested.

"What is it?" Rick asked, not knowing what he wanted.

"Are you sure you want to continue this? She might humiliate you."

"It is a possibility. However, I defeated you in my entrance exam. And you can't predict how a duel will end."

"I see. If that's what you want, I'll see you at the Duel Field in an hour. And… good luck. You might need it."

Rick simply nodded before he left.

_He is interesting. But his duel can be a real disappointment. Even with his capabilities. _

* * *

><p>After class, Max went straight to Loki Mansion. While most people were already preparing for the upcoming fight, apparently more people heard about the Lokinian who was foolish enough to challenge a second-year Odinian, Max wanted to avoid watching the duel.<p>

_Rick, how much you want to help me, this is my fight_, he thought to himself.

"Hey Max, what are you doing here?", Ilian asked surprised. "Aren't you going to support Rick?"

"It's just… it isn't really her fault" Max sighed.

"What do you mean?"

"It might be better if I didn't told you anything."

"Don't tell what?", Rick asked as he entered the room.

"Rick?", Ilian asked confused. "Aren't you supposed to be at the Duel Field already?"

"I was coming to get my deck. And looking for you guys. But what's the problem, Max?"

"You're right. You should duel her" Max stated as the expression on his face changed dramatically. His eyes widened open and he looked more confident than usual.

"Huh?" Ilian asked astonished.

"Sure" Rick replied.

"However, you need this in order to do so", Max said while he took a card from his deck and gave it to Rick. "This card represented the bond between me and Emma. Now it should help you during your duel."

"Thanks. I won't disappoint you" Rick nodded as he took the card and putted it in his deck.

"Come on" Ilian said. "It is time."

* * *

><p>When Max, Ilian and Rick arrived at the arena, there already was a large audience.<p>

The arena itself was a long open Duel Field surrounded by lots of seats. It looked almost exactly like the duel arena from Kaiba's Duel Academy.

"Are there this much people?" Rick asked. "Not exactly what I had in my mind."

"From now, Rick, it's up to you. We'll be sitting over there" Ilian said.

"We know you can win, Rick," Max supported. "Good luck!" he shouted as they went to their seats.

As soon as Max and Ilian left, Rick went to the Duel Field. At the same time, a blond-haired girl wearing a dark, pink shirt and a red pair of pants. She had a cold, monotone look which was reflected in her blue eyes. She also entered the Duel Field and glared at Rick.

"You must be Emma," Rick started. "Why did you accept my challenge?"

"Because it is fun to defeat weak duelists. Especially people like you who dare to challenge the elite."

Meanwhile, Professor Helsingborg went to the Duel Field.

"Rick, Emma, are you both ready?" he asked.

"Absolutely" Rick confirmed.

"Me too" Emma responded calmly.

"I see. Make it a clean fight."

"DUEL" they both shouted.

"As the challenged one, I'll take the first turn," Emma called. "And I'll start with the magic card 'Treasure Of Heaven'. In exchange for discarding a Light-Fairy monster, I can draw two cards. Furthermore, I can't attack this turn, but that didn't really matter. Now I summon Consecrated Light."

A little ball of light appeared out of nothing and glowed brightly.

**Consecrated Light: (lv1, Fairy, ATK 0 DEF 0)**

"That card doesn't have any attack points?" Rick asked astonished. "What can it do?"

"Neither of us can summon Dark monsters. Also, it can't be destroyed by Dark monsters."

"But that means you ruined almost my entire deck!"

"And I'll end my turn by setting two cards."

"Not bad," Rick confessed while he drawed a card. "But what do you think of this. Crusader Of Endymion."

A blue-armored magician appeared on the field.

**Crusader Of Endymion: (lv4, Spellcaster, ATK 1900 DEF 1200)**

"And since he isn't a Dark monster, he can just attack your Consecrated Light."

The Crusader attacked, but Emma remained unfazed.

**LP Emma: 8000 – 1900 = 6100**

"Do you still think I'm a weak duelist?" Rick asked.

"Weak and extremely naïve," Emma responded, not changing her voice. "I knew this would happen."

"If that's the case, I'll end my turn without doing anything else.

"To bad this duel is almost over," Emma stated as she drawed a card. "I discard Zeradias, Herald Of Heaven to add The Sanctuary In The Sky to my hand. Now I remove Consecrated Light and Zeradias in my graveyard from play to summon Soul Of Purity And Light."

A guy protected by a mystical fairy stared to the Crusader.

**Soul Of Purity And Light: (lv6, Fairy ATK 2000 DEF 1800)**

"Next I play the card I just added to my hand. The home of my fairy's, The Sanctuary In The Sky."

Behind Emma, a giant, white temple emerged out of nothing. Emma simply went to it to stand in it.

"This, Rick, is the first card to ensure your defeat. And there will be way more before I'll finish you off. So to start your painful road, Soul Of Purity, attack his Crusader."

The fairy released the boy to drag the Crusader under the ground by taking his legs.

**LP Rick: 8000 – 100 = 7900**

"And I think that's enough for this turn. But you won't be so lucky in the next turn."

In the audience, Max and Ilian were watching the duel closely.

"Is Emma really this tough to beat?" Ilian asked a bit worried.

"She already has the Sanctuary out. That means she started quite well. And normally she becomes better every turn. But it could be even more worse…"

"Do I want to know what that means?"

"I'm afraid you'll find out soon enough", Max said carefully.

"That wasn't a bad move at all", Rick smiled. "But now it's my turn. So I'll start with summoning Skilled Dark Magician."

A magician with grey clothes and a long wand entered the field.

**Skilled Dark Magician: (lv4, Spellcaster, ATK 1900 DEF 1700)**

"Now I play the magic card 'Spell Power Grasp'. This card allows me to give a spell counter to one of my cards, so I choose Skilled Dark Magician. And since I played a magic card, he gets another spell counter. Also, I can add another Spell Power Grasp to my hand."

"But that doesn't matter", Emma figured out. "Soul Of Purity And Light is still stronger."

"I know it seems a bit useless right now, but I wasn't finished yet. So to clear things up, I activate Solidarity. If I have one monster-type in my graveyard, every monster with the same type I control gets 800 attack points. And since Crusader Of Endymion lies in my graveyard, Skilled Dark Magician gets the attack bonus."

**Skilled Dark Magician: ATK 1900 + 800 = 2700**

"So you have a stronger monster. But what was the use of that Spell Power Grasp except of wasting your turn and my time?"

"You still don't get it, don't you? The main goal was to have a Skilled Dark Magician with three spell counters. Because now I'm able to use its effect."

_Effect?_ Professor Helsingborg thought. _But isn't that somehow impossible?_

"I tribute my Skilled Dark Magician with three spell counters", Rick went on, "to summon the strongest monster in my entire deck. I summon the ultimate Spellcaster, Dark Magician."

The audience was simply astonished. Even Emma was amazed by the appearance of the magician with the purple costume and green wand.

**Dark Magician: (lv7, Spellcaster, ATK 2500 DEF 2100)**

"How did he get such an extremely rare card?" Ilian asked stunned. "As far as I know, the Dark Magician is the ace card of the Duel King, Yugi Muto."

"I didn't steal it or something if that's what you think," Rick clarified. "I was just extremely lucky to find one in a pack once."

"You consider yourself lucky. Enjoy your luck while you can", Emma said cynically. "Because when this duel is over, you might not want to duel anymore."

"What do you mean by that?" Rick asked shocked. "How can you lose the drive to duel so suddenly?"

"I make them lose every kind of fun they might have. And how much you deny it now, I'm sure this is the last duel of your life."

"Then I won't lose," Rick stated. "And I'll even make you have fun with this duel."

_He's going to make her enjoy this duel?_ Max thought. _But how? She doesn't had fun in anything since that day…_

"But to continue our duel," Rick went on, "Dark Magician still gets the bonus of Solidarity. And that means he's almost unbeatable."

**Dark Magician: ATK 2500 + 800 = 3300**

"And now your monster is defenseless, I'll destroy her. Dark Magician, attack Soul Of Purity And Light with 'Dark Magic Attack'."

The Dark Magician fired a magic beam from his wand. For a moment, the Soul Of Purity could be seen in negative before she shattered in pieces.

"And that greatly affects your Life Points. Still considering me weak?"

**LP Emma: 6100 **

"You certainly are weak. So confident of yourself but not even able to do a single Life Point damage."

"Impossible!" Rick exclaimed. "Your Life Points should be below 5000 by now. How is this possible?"

"I should've expected this from a first-year Lokinian who never saw powerful cards before. But allow me to explain: In Ancient Greece people built temples to honor their gods. And if you sacrificed something, they believed the gods would help them."

"Does that make any sense?" Rick asked confused. "Does it have to do anything with the fact your Life Points didn't decrease?"

"Yes, it does," Emma explained, showing some emotion for the first time in the duel. "You see, as long as The Sanctuary In The Sky exists on the field all damage to the controller of a Fairy-type monster will be reduced to 0. So you may attack as much as you want, but you'll never be able to do any damage to me."

_This looks bad to me. If I can't damage her, I'll never be able to win. And if I don't win, I can't fulfill my promise to Max. I just have to get rid of that Sanctuary. But how?_

"That was unexpected," Rick admitted. "In that case, I'll set one card and end my turn."

"Is that card something to protect yourself from an attack?" Emma asked without any sign of a possible emotion. "I'll guarantee you your trick is doomed to fail. But that isn't important now because I will bring this duel to a new level."

"Is that a bad thing?" Ilian asked Max.

"You'd wish it was a 'bad' thing" Max responded. "But if she starts dueling at a higher level this duel might be over faster than you can imagine."

"Then let's hope Rick has a plan", Ilian concluded.

"Do you know what it is to duel against the elite, Rick?"

"What do you mean by that? Do you think I'm a worthless duelist or something?"

"You just challenged me without thinking about the consequences of it. You don't know me, you don't know what can happen if you lose this duel."

"I know your brother lost confidence just because of one duel against you," Rick now spoke more offensively. "How is such a thing even possible?"

"That doesn't have to do anything with you" Emma now became mad.

"Despite whatever you think, I am involved in this now. And whatever it is, I will find out through this duel" Rick stated confident.

"Do as you wish. However, since it's still my turn, I'll activate my face-down card, 'Miraculous Descent'. This card allows me to summon one Fairy that is removed from play. So I'll summon The Splendid Venus in attack mode."

Out of nothing, a giant portal appeared which released an acrid light before a four-winged goddess wearing a orange, gold armor and a long matching crown.

**The Splendid Venus: (lv8, Fairy, ATK 2800 DEF 2400)**

"What did you do? You never removed this card from play so you shouldn't be able to summon it" Rick protested.

"You surely don't pay attention during a duel. As a matter of fact, this was the first card I got rid of. Do you happen to remember my Treasure Of Heaven I played in the first turn?"

Before Rick could try to argue anything, he saw his Magician shrinking due to a magic influence.

"You notice it?" Emma asked. "The ability of The Splendid Venus reduces the attack and defense power of every Non-Fairy monster with 500 points."

**Dark Magician: ATK 3300 – 500 = 2800 DEF 2100 – 500 = 1600**

"But that means our monsters are tied. They would both commit suicide during battle" Rick noticed.

"And to avoid such a thing I equip Venus with Cestus Of Dagla. Now my monster gets a bonus of 500 attack points."

**The Splendid Venus: ATK 2800 + 500 = 3300**

"And now my monster is stronger, I can easily destroy your tiny Magician. Venus, attack with 'Heavenly Judgment'."

"It seemed to predictable you would attack me. So I prepared a little surprise, activate Dimensional Prison. Now your monster will be removed from play once again", Rick said as there emerged another portal between the Dark Magician and The Splendid Venus.

"You should've listened to me while you had the chance. 'Cause now you've angered the gods and that can result in your dead," Emma spoke more intensive. "I activate 'Divine Punishment'" Emma went on while a combination of earthquakes and lightning bolts destroyed the purple portal.

"If The Sanctuary In The Sky exists on my field Divine Punishment can negate anything, so your Prison was such a useless attempt," Emma said as everything disappeared. "But that means my attack comes through."

The Splendid Venus began to glow and destroyed the defenseless Magician with nothing but a bright light.

**LP Rick: 7900 – 500 = 7400**

"My magician!" Rick exclaimed. "That was my strongest monster."

"If I were you, I'd worry about my Venus, because she just inflicted some damage to you and that activated Cestus Of Dagla. If a monster equipped with it inflicts damage, my Life Points increase with the same amount."

**LP Emma: 6100 + 500 = 6600**

"Is this what you meant by 'it might be over faster than you can imagine'?" Ilian asked worried.

"Not exactly. This is my sister if she plays at 50% of her total skill. But it could be even more worse."

"You're kidding me. She has a monster with 3300 attack points, you can't deal any damage to her, she can increase her Life Points more than we can imagine,… What could be more worse than all of this?"

"I don't think you want to know", Max assured Ilian.

"Of course I want to know. If you were me, you also wanted to know what can happen, wouldn't you?"

"Well, maybe, but…"

"Just tell me. It's not like she can multiply her Life Points or something, right?"

"No, it's way worse. She hasn't summoned her true ace yet" Max stated.

* * *

><p><strong>Ilian: <strong>"The Splendid Venus isn't her strongest monster?"

**Emma: **"Not at all. I have a monster with the possibility to contain over 10000 attack points."

**Max: **"For the record, she isn't joking. That card is fearsome."

**Rick: **"It doesn't matter because I have every card I need to win."

**Max: **"You mean you have another ace card?"

**Rick: **"And I have the card you gave me. I can still win."

**Ilian: **"Next on _Yu-Gi-Oh European Duel Academy_: **'Together With My Friends'**

**Emma: **"You'll never summon your ace. You'll lose this duel and everything you care about."


	4. Together With My Friends

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or anything designed by their original creator. I do own every character and card I created myself. (If I ever create those.)

**A/N : **Special thanks to everyone who actually read the first chapters. I promise the story will become better. Just give it time.

Also, if you read this, review this story and tell me what I can do to improve it. Thanks a lot.

* * *

><p>"Is this what you meant by 'it might be over faster than you can imagine'?" Ilian asked worried.<p>

"Not exactly. This is my sister if she plays at 50% of her total skill. But it could be even more worse."

"You're kidding me. She has a monster with 3300 attack points, you can't deal any damage to her, she can increase her Life Points more than we can imagine,… What could be more worse than all of this?"

"I don't think you want to know" Max assured Ilian.

"Of course I want to know. If you were me, you also wanted to know what can happen, wouldn't you?"

"Well, maybe, but…"

"Just tell me. It's not like she can multiply her Life Points or something, right?"

"No, it's way worse. She hasn't summoned her true ace yet" Max stated.

* * *

><p><strong>Yu-Gi-Oh European Duel Academy<strong>

**Turn Four:**** Together With My Friends**

* * *

><p>The audience was impressed by the skills of Emma who was playing like a real pro. On the other hand, Max and Ilian were worried about Rick.<p>

**LP Emma: 6600**

**LP Rick: 7400**

"What do you mean, she hasn't summoned her ace yet?" Ilian asked a bit impatient.

"You'll have to see for yourself. But you won't like it" Max assured.

The Duel Field looked pretty empty at Rick's side but quite filled at Emma's side. Rick only had his 'Solidarity' magic card on the field and three cards in his hand. Also, Emma knew that one of the cards was a 'Spell Power Grasp'. Emma had The Splendid Venus attached to a Cestus Of Dagla and Miraculous Descent. Furthermore, she had two cards left in her hand and had The Sanctuary In The Sky as her field magic.

"Tell me, Rick, do you want to continue our duel or do you want to surrender?" Emma asked confident but still not caring.

"Of course I want to continue," Rick smiled. "After all, I promised I would beat you."

"So be it. Enjoy your last turn before I'll end this duel."

"Draw", Rick called. "I simply set a monster before I end my turn."

"This looks bad," Max said. "If Rick doesn't have any trap cards he can never win."

"We have to believe he can turn this duel to his advantage," Ilian responded. "As long as he has Life Points, anything can happen." _But are you able to do so?_

"Is this all you can do?" Emma asked a bit wondered. "Fine, I already expected this from an amateur as you. That means this will be over before you know. Now I summon Freya, Spirit Of Victory."

A purple-haired cheerleader appeared and went standing next to Venus.

**Freya, Spirit Of Victory: (lv1, Fairy, ATK 100 DEF 100)**

"Why is she so cheerful and happy?" Rick asked confused.

"She doesn't know any better," Emma explained. "But it does help because thanks to her attitude, every Fairy on my field gets a bonus of 400 attack and defense points. And as long as I control another Fairy, you can't attack Freya."

**The Splendid Venus: ATK 3300 + 400 = 3700 DEF 2400 + 400 = 2800**

**Freya, Spirit Of Victory: ATK 100 + 400 = 500 DEF 100 + 400 = 500**

"And now you'll be destroyed," Emma went on. "Venus, attack his worthless monster with 'Heavenly Judgment'."

The Splendid Venus glowed again before she crushed Rick's monster and turned it into light particles.

"To bad you didn't know my monster was an Apprentice Magician," Rick said. "And since you destroyed her in a battle, I can summon another level 2 or lower Spellcaster-type from my deck in face-down defense mode. So I'll summon another Apprentice Magician."

"So be it," Emma replied coldly. "Freya, kill that trash."

"That wasn't your best move. My magician's defense is higher than Freya's attack. So nothing will happen."

"You think so? My Splendid Venus is still here which means your magician is too weak to defend herself."

"It doesn't matter. Now I get another monster. So I choose Night's End Sorcerer."

"Do as you wish. I just end my turn."

"Then it's my turn," Rick went on. "And first I flip summon Night's End Sorcerer."

A white-haired boy sitting on a grave appeared from the ground.

**Night's End Sorcerer: (lv2, Spellcaster, ATK 1300 DEF 400)**

"And thanks to Solidarity, his attack increases with 800" Rick said.

**Night's End Sorcerer: ATK 1300 + 800 = 2100**

"But thanks to The Splendid Venus your attack goes down with 500 points" Emma corrected him.

**Night's End Sorcerer: ATK 2100 – 500 = 1600 DEF 400 – 500 = 0**

"That doesn't matter. Now, I summon Breaker The Magical Warrior."

A red-armored warrior carrying a red shield and a sword accompanied the sorcerer.

**Breaker The Magical Warrior: (lv4, Spellcaster, ATK 1600 DEF 1000)**

"And since I normal summoned Breaker," Rick continued, "He gets a spell counter. But it won't remain for long because I remove it to destroy Miraculous Descent."

The crowd gasped as they realized that removing Miraculous Descent will also destroy The Splendid Venus.

"Breaker, destroy Miraculous Descent with 'Magic Sword'" Rick ordered.

Breaker's sword began to glow before it released a magic influence which caused the portal Miraculous Descent created to crush. As a result, The Splendid Venus was sucked up and vanished into another dimension.

"He… he actually did it," Ilian started. "He just destroyed The Splendid Venus."

"But this duel is far from over", Max warned.

Although The Splendid Venus was destroyed, Emma still looked unfazed, showing not a single emotion.

"And with your Splendid Venus gone, my monsters attack points will raise again."

**Night's End Sorcerer: ATK 1600 + 500 = 2100 DEF 0 + 500 = 400**

**Breaker The Magical Warrior: ATK 1900 + 500 = 2400 DEF 500 + 500 = 1000**

"And since you have no face-down cards, you're defenseless. Night's End Sorcerer, attack Freya."

The sorcerer attacked Freya, who had no chance to strike back.

"Breaker, attack Emma", Rick shouted before Emma could recover from the previous assault.

**LP Emma: 6600 – 2400 = 4200 **

"Awesome!" Ilian exclaimed. "I knew he could do it."

"How is this possible?" Max wondered. "He is winning against my sister."

"And now I tune Breaker into my sorcerer to synchro summon Explosive Magician."

A white-dressed magician with lightning bolts in his hand emerged at the same time Breaker and Night's End Sorcerer disappeared.

**Explosive Magician: (lv6, Spellcaster, ATK 2500 DEF 1800)**

"You sure think you won already, don't you?" Emma asked a bit amused.

"Not exactly. But thanks to my ever-continuing Solidarity my magician gets an additional 800 points."

**Explosive Magician: ATK 2500 + 800 = 3300**

"And that ends my turn."

"Draw" Emma said calmly as she started her turn.

"I set one monster and I activate The Fountain In The Sky."

In front of the temple an altar appeared with a fountain in the middle of it.

"What is it supposed to do?", Rick asked wondering.

"You'll have to find out for yourself," Emma replied. "But it's your turn."

"I summon another Crusader Of Endymion in attack mode."

Another blue-armored magician walked to his comrade before getting ready for their fight.

**Crusader Of Endymion: (lv4, Spellcaster, ATK 1900 DEF 1200)**

**Crusader Of Endymion: ATK 1900 + 800 = 2700**

"You remember this one?" Rick asked. "And he will strike again. Crusader, attack her monster."

A male angel wearing a white toga shielded himself from the attack until Emma's duel disk began to glow.

"I should thank you, but I won't," Emma said coldly. "I'm sure you're familiar with Shining Angel. Thanks to his ability, I'm able to summon Nova Summoner in attack mode."

A little sun-like creature with wings came from the temple and replaced the angel.

**Nova Summoner: (lv4, Fairy, 1400 ATK 800 DEF)**

"And that's not all. Thanks to The Fountain In The Sky I can remove a destroyed Light-monster from play to restore Life Points equal to its attack", Emma explained.

**LP Emma: 4200 + 1400 = 5600**

"It doesn't matter. Explosive Magician, attack that Nova Summoner."

Explosive Magician fired a lightning bolt which electrocuted Nova Summoner.

"You fool," Emma said. "Because you destroyed Nova Summoner I can summon a Light, Fairy-type monster with 1500 or less attack from my deck. So I choose Airknight Parshath."

The nova transformed itself into a centaur-like angel who was ready to protect her temple.

**Airknight Parshath: (lv5, Fairy, ATK 1900 DEF 1400)**

"You're not allowed to summon her," Rick protested. "Her attack is too high for Nova's summoning restrictions."

"Normally yes. However, thanks to The Sanctuary In The Sky I'm not bonded by that law and can I summon Airknight Parshath instead."

_That Sanctuary is a really troublesome card. If I don't get rid of it I'm done for._

"Furthermore, I activate The Fountain In The Sky to replenish my Life Points again."

**LP Emma: 5600 + 1400 = 7000**

"I have a bad feeling about this," Ilian said. "Rick was completely dominating but Emma came back in just one turn."

_You have no idea. But the worst has yet to come_ Max thought.

"I'm afraid I just have to end my turn" Rick smiled.

"Are you ready for a real challenge?" Emma asked as she looked at her drawn card.

"Sure. Show me your best move."

"As you wish. I tribute Airknight Parshath to summon the ace card of my deck."

"The Splendid Venus wasn't your strongest card?" Rick asked amazed.

"Not at all. This card breaks every record you can imagine. Prepare for the ultimate monster. Come forth, ruler of heaven, Neo-Parshath, The Sky Paladin."

Airknight Parshath vanished and a retrained version of it reappeared.

**Neo-Parshath, The Sky Paladin: (lv7, Fairy, ATK 2300 DEF 2000)**

"This duel is over," Max stated. "If Rick doesn't find a way to get rid of that card he'll never have a chance to win."

"What do you mean? The Splendid Venus was way stronger than this card", Ilian asked.

"You haven't seen its full potential yet."

"And I just set one card before I end my turn" Emma said smiling.

_What's so special about that card that Emma calls it her ace? It must have an ability. But what is it?_, Rick wondered.

"Whether that card's your ace or not, I'm going to destroy it. Crusader, attack Neo-Parshath" Rick stated.

"You fool. Activate trap card, Aegis Of Gaia" Emma announced.

"No!" Max shouted. "Not that card."

"I might be a fool," Rick said. "But Aegis Of Gaia doesn't affect my attack. It just increases your Life Points with 3000."

**LP Emma: 7000 + 3000 = 10000**

"You think so?" Emma asked mildly amused.

"You have another purpose to activate that card?" Rick replied surprised.

Crusader Of Endymion attacked Neo-Parshath who somehow received energy from The Sanctuary In The Sky.

"What's all of this?" Ilian asked Max. "Why is Neo-Parshath growing so quickly?"

"See for yourself" Max answered, knowing what would come next.

Neo-Parshath kept absorbing power until she was strong enough to pulverize Crusader Of Endymion.

"How is this happening?", Rick asked as he saw his Life Points go down.

**LP Rick: 7400 – 2200 = 5200**

"This is what happens if you underestimate the value of a card", Emma said cynically. "But allow me to explain: If The Sanctuary In The Sky is active and my Life Points are higher than yours, the difference is added to the attack of Neo-Parshath."

**Neo-Parshath, The Sky Paladin: ATK 2300 + 2600 = 4900**

"And since your Life Points just decreased again, my attack will go up."

**Neo-Parshath, The Sky Paladin: ATK 4900 + 2200 = 7100**

"Furthermore, if Neo-Parshath damages your Life Points, I can draw a card," Emma clarified while she drew a card. "And just to be fair, Neo-Parshath also has the ability to penetrate in case you were thinking about defending with your pathetic Explosive Magician."

_I can't defend!_ Rick panicked, something he rarely did. _Then this will be really hard for me._

"How is Rick going to win against someone with 10000 Life Points and a practically invincible monster?" Ilian asked Max.

"He won't," Max sighed. "You don't know how it feels to duel Emma with that card until you're in that spot.

"I end my turn without further play" Rick said, stunning everyone.

"Why is Rick throwing the match away?" Ilian asked. "Why doesn't he fight back?"

"This is why I didn't wanted Rick to duel in the first place. He's completely overwhelmed by her psychological assault. Emma's so in Rick's head he starts to lose his confidence and make big mistakes", Max explained. "I've had the same experience against her."

_You can fight back, Rick. You have to…_

"Are you insulting me with this kind of play or are you really so weak?" Emma asked. "But you're about to lose. I activate the magic card Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy Solidarity."

"No!" Rick shouted as a tornado appeared out of nothing before it destroyed the magic card and vanished as quick as it came.

**Explosive Magician: ATK 3300 – 800 = 2500**

"And to make sure you'll never have a chance to fight back: Neo-Parshath, attack Explosive Magician with 'Clear Sanctuary'."

Neo-Parshath resisted the lightning bolts of Explosive Magician easily and countered with a giant orb of light.

**LP Rick: 5200 – 4600 = 600**

"And as you remember, since your Life Points went down, Neo-Parshath's attack goes up."

**Neo-Parshath, The Sky Paladin: ATK 7100 + 4600 = 11700**

According to the merciless assault, Rick fell one knee, heavily breathing while Emma calmly drew a card.

"Now I end my turn. And I suggest you surrender" Emma smirked.

"This wasn't supposed to happen," Max said. "Rick just tried to help me at his own cost."

"Is there any chance Rick can turn this duel around?" Ilian asked.

"I'm afraid this duel is over. As far as I know Neo-Parshath never achieved such strength before. We can only hope Rick won't be to traumatized by this" Max responded.

"Why would I give up, Emma?" Rick asked to everyone's astonishment. "I made a vow I would beat you and make you have fun through this duel. Besides, it's my turn now. And I set a monster and a face-down card. Your turn."

"You still don't give up?" Emma asked stunned while she drew a card. "Then you have to know it for yourself. Neo-Parshath, end this duel with 'Clear Sanctuary'."

"Is this the end?", Ilian asked panicking.

"How sad this might be" Max said softly.

_You gave it your all, but in the end Emma just outclassed you_, Professor Helsingborg thought.

Neo-Parshath released an enormous orb of light which illuminated the entire arena.

"I expected such a thing already. Summoning a monster with such tremendous power", Rick admitted. "But if you can't control such strength, it can cause self-destruction."

"What is that supposed to mean? Just be silent and admit your loss" Emma shouted.

"We'll see about that. I activate my trap card, Magic Cylinder."

"Impossible. I can't lose", Emma stated.

The light orb was captured by the first of two cylinders. Then, the energy was released and fired back to Emma. The returned power caused everything to disappear in the light.

"Did Rick win?" Max asked astonished. "Did he defeated Emma?"

The audience was surprised by the sudden comeback of the Lokinian, but were even more amazed by the fact that Emma somehow survived her own attack.

**LP Emma: 10000 – 2700 = 7300**

"What!" Rick yelled when he saw Emma unharmed. "You were supposed to lose 11700 Life Points from that attack. Why do you have 7300 Life Points left?"

"I was able to control my power," Emma clarified. "I activated the magic card Forbidden Chalice. It increased my attack power with 400 but as a drawback Neo-Parshath's effect is negated until the end of this turn."

**Neo-Parshath, The Sky Paladin: ATK 11700 - 2700**

"It was a brave attempt and you could be a good duelist, but you need a goal to achieve."

"What kind of goal? What does it mean?"

"Forget about it. I end my turn which means Neo-Parshath's power will be restored.

**Neo-Parshath, The Sky Paladin: ATK 2700 - 9000**

_That goal… _Rick wondered. _Is that the reason you don't love to duel anymore?_

"My turn", Rick said determined while he drew his card. Surprisingly enough, he recognized the card.

_That card… This is the card Max gave me. That has to be a sign._

"First," Rick started "I reveal the monster you didn't destroy, Alchemist Of Black Spells."

A masked man showing the symbol of a spell counter appeared.

**Alchemist Of Black Spells: (lv4, Spellcaster, ATK 1200 DEF 1800)**

"Then I'll summon another Breaker The Magical Warrior in attack mode and thanks to his spell counter I can get rid of The Sanctuary In The Sky."

**Breaker The Magical Warrior: (lv4, Spellcaster, ATK 1600 DEF 1000)**

"You can't do that," Emma yelled, obviously mad. "That means Neo-Parshath loses all his power."

As Emma said, Neo-Parshath seemingly shrank to its regular size when her temple sank and vanished under the ground.

**Neo-Parshath, The Sky Paladin: ATK 9000 - 2300**

"Now I play my magic card Miracle Synchro Fusion" Rick announced.

"Miracle Synchro Fusion?" Max asked. "I've never seen this card before."

The audience was quite interested in the new card. Apparently, no-one saw this card before.

"To activate this card, I have to remove fusion-material monsters in my graveyard from play," Rick explained. "So I remove Explosive Magician and Apprentice Magician to summon Supreme Arcanite Magician in attack mode."

Explosive Magician and Apprentice Magician appeared on the field, merged with each other and transformed into a purple-dressed magician with a giant wand.

**Supreme Arcanite Magician: (lv10, Spellcaster, ATK 1400 DEF 2800)**

"Did you see this card before?" Ilian asked stunned.

"I didn't know that a fusion with synchro monsters existed," Max replied amazed. "But will this card be able to help Rick win?"

"For those who are wondering about this card," Rick started "When this card is fusion summoned, it gets two spell counters. For each spell counter on this card, he gets 1000 attack points."

**Supreme Arcanite Magician: ATK 1400 + 1000 * 2 = 3400**

"3400!" Emma shouted. "That's more than Neo-Parshath."

"And if you watched carefully, you'll know the next card," Rick said. "Spell Power Grasp, give Supreme Arcanite Magician a spell counter," Rick said while he put the card on his Duel Disk. "And as I said, that means 1000 more points."

**Supreme Arcanite Magician: ATK 3400 + 1000 = 4400**

"Next," Rick went on, now with an unseen intense, "I activate the last card in my hand. And I'm sure you'll know this card because it once belonged to someone very close to you…"

"Is that the card I gave him?" Max asked confused.

"I activate the card that represents this duel, United We Stand."

"United… We Stand," Emma gasped. "How did you get that card?"

"Max gave it to me as a proof of our friendship. And I'm sure you know what this card does. For each face-up monster I control, the assigned monster gains 800 attack points, and I equip it with Supreme Arcanite Magician."

**Supreme Arcanite Magician: ATK 4400 + 3 * 800 = 6800 **

"I guess you know what comes next?" Rick asked. "Supreme Arcanite Magician, attack Neo-Parshath with 'Supreme Arcanite Magic'."

Supreme Arcanite Magician raised his wand and attacked with an explosion so powerful that the arena was covered by smoke.

"Did he just beat Emma's best card?" Max asked impressed.

"I guess," Ilian responded. "But I can't see anything at all."

After the smoke cleared, Neo-Parshath was gone while Supreme Arcanite Magician remained sole.

**LP Emma: 7300 – 4500 = 2800**

"Neo-Parshath" Emma said quietly as she started to lose the will to fight.

"And don't forget, I still have two monsters left. Alchemist, attack."

**LP Emma: 2800 – 1200 = 1600**

At that time, Emma realized it was over. She knew nothing could save her anymore.

"Breaker, end this duel" Rick ordered for the final attack.

Breaker The Magical Warrior raised his sword as Emma was ready to receive her final attack and lose the duel.

**LP Emma: 1600 – 1600 = 0**

When Emma's Life Point meter reached 0, she just stared at Rick and smiled, something she didn't do in a very long time.

"He did it," Max exclaimed. "Rick just beat Emma."

"Unbelievable," Ilian answered. "He beat a top student of Odin Palace."

_Impressive, Rick_ Professor Helsingborg thought._ I never imagined you could beat Emma Weller. You might be able to do great things. Really great things… _

* * *

><p>While everyone was talking about the impressive duel Rick simply walked to Emma.<p>

"Great duel," Rick smiled. "I hope you enjoyed it."

Emma just looked away and didn't answer.

"Come on. It's not that bad you lost a duel. As long as you have fun."

"You don't get it. Dueling was fun, until that day…"

"What day? What do you mean?"

"It's a long story. When Max and I were little, we loved dueling and we both dreamed of becoming professional duelists. However, three years ago, a girl with a crystal necklace challenged me to a duel. She defeated me and cursed me. She turned me into a heartless, cruel monster. The only way to break the curse was to be defeated in a duel. That's why I went to here. Unfortunately, no-one was able to do so and help me."

"But what did have to do with destroying Max's confidence?"

"A week after I became cursed, Max got some new cards. He wanted to use them, but I felt some strange aura coming from those cards. So I made sure he never would duel again."

"But I've defeated you. So isn't everything back to normal again?"

"Not at all. By winning this duel you made everything even worse. The girl told me that once the curse was broken, a giant disaster would occur."

"What kind of disaster?"

"She didn't tell me. I don't know when, where, or what can happen. "The only thing I know is that this can be stopped only by either the person who defeated me or her opposite."

"Her opposite?"

"Someone who is opposite in most ways. But I don't know who he might be."

"It doesn't matter. We'll just do our best so that nothing will happen."

Rick and Emma just stared at each other and smiled.

On the other hand, among the audience one person just smiled evilly. _With Emma defeated, the prophecy can finally begin._

* * *

><p><strong>Max: <strong>"I just can't believe you actually beat Emma."

**Ilian: **"Max's right. You're getting better every day."

**Rick: **"Don't say that. You're both awesome duelists."

**Max: **"Well, Ilian's going to prove himself in the next chapter."

**Rick: **"You mean he's going to duel instead of me?"

**Ilian: **"That's correct. I just don't know who my opponent will be."

**Max: **"You'll definitely find someone."

**Ilian: **"Next on _Yu-Gi-Oh European Duel Academy_: **'Divine Light'**"

**Rick: **"It's just not fair. He gets to say the title and he can duel."


	5. Divine Light

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or anything designed by its original creator. I do own every character and card I created myself. (If that ever happens.)

**A/N: **Sorry for the long waiting but exams were killing my free time. So to celebrate their endings I present you a new chapter.

Also, I'd like to thank my fellow writer and friend NarniaAndMiddleEarth for the design of my new character. All credit of the character goes to him.

So far the notes, and enjoy.

* * *

><p>At night in Loki Mansion Rick was staring outside his window thinking about today. Emma told him that by defeating her, he unleashed some kind of disaster.<p>

_What kind of disaster?_

_She didn't tell me. I don't know when, where, or what can happen. The only thing I know is that this can be stopped only by either the person who defeated me or her opposite._

_Her opposite?_

_Someone who is opposite in most ways. But I don't know who he might be._

Rick just sighed and closed the curtains before he went to bed. But after all, he still knew nothing.

_Whoever that girl might be, I won't let her succeed._

* * *

><p><strong>Yu-Gi-Oh European Duel Academy<strong>

**Turn Five: Divine Light**

* * *

><p>The next day during breakfast, Rick was still thinking about what Emma meant.<p>

"Rick?" Ilian asked. "Is something wrong?"

"No, I just didn't sleep so well last night" Rick said quickly.

"I get it. It can happen" Ilian replied understanding.

"I have to ask you, what did Emma say to you after your duel?" Max asked curiously.

"It's complicated" Rick sighed.

"Is that the thing bothering you?" Ilian asked.

"I really don't want to bother you guys with such a story."

"As you wish" Max smiled. "Come on, we're going to be late for class."

* * *

><p>After class Rick and Max went back to Loki Mansion. However, for some reason Ilian didn't come with them<p>

"Hey, Ilian. What are you going to do?" Rick asked.

"Taking a walk. I'm looking for someone I can duel against. I mean, I only dueled once since I arrived on this island and that's like a week ago."

"And who is your opponent?" Max asked confused.

"Anyone who accepts my challenge."

"Good luck" Rick smiled. "I'm sure you'll find someone."

"Thanks. I'll be back in an hour or something."

"Bye" Max said before Ilian left.

* * *

><p>Ilian decided to go to the forest near Odin Palace. People said there was an open spot in middle of the forest which could be used as a great duel field. He just needed to find that place and an opponent.<p>

After a long walk around the island Ilian finally found the forest. Behind it you could see a magnificent, magenta building. Seeing the color of the building, he assumed it had to be Odin Palace. However, he didn't find an opponent yet.

_Where is everyone? I thought there were a lot of duelists in the forest but why don't I see anyone? Besides, I'm already looking for an hour and a half. _

Suddenly, he heard something. Ilian turned around but just saw a crow sitting in a tree.

_Why am I still looking? Isn't it obvious here isn't anyone to duel_, Ilian thought disappointed. _Well, I'll just go home and try again tomorrow._

He walked to the end of the forest with his head down. When he was about to leave the forest, someone accidently ran in to him which caused Ilian to fall on the ground. When he got up again, he saw a guy wearing glasses and curly hair wearing a red uniform which showed he was an Odinian.

"Are you okay?" the guy asked worried.

"I'm fine. I just didn't see you" Ilian replied.

"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Thomas Gerland."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Ilian Vogell."

"What are you doing here at this time?", Thomas asked. "There is nobody here."

"I was looking for someone I could duel against. How about you?"

"I just come here to relax. Seeing as here is no one, I love the peacefulness."

"I get it. Then I guess I'm wasting my time here" Ilian said disappointed.

"Why don't you duel me?" Thomas proposed. "If you want something, you should fight for it."

"But you're an Odinian," Ilian stammered. "Why would you waste your time dueling an Lokinian?"

"I don't look down on someone who's in a lower class than me," Thomas stated. "Come on, we're going to duel."

"Where?" Ilian asked, amazed by Thomas's statement.

"Follow me. I've got the perfect place.

* * *

><p>Thomas and Ilian walked to the open field in the middle in the forest. Once they arrived, they went standing at each other and stared to the other side of the field.<p>

"Why do you want to duel me?", Ilian asked, still confused.

"You seem to hold some determination. I want to find out how good Lokinians really are."

"How good do you think we are?", Ilian asked interested.

"There are some rumors that Lokinians are not worthy of this school. But I don't believe them. So show me what you can do."

"I will" Ilian accepted.

"DUEL" they both exclaimed.

"Since you're the challenged one, I'll give you the first turn" Thomas said.

"Thanks. I'll set one monster and a face-down card" Ilian said before he ended his turn.

"Not bad. I'll start with the magic card 'Charge Of The Light Brigade'."

"I've never heard of that card before. What does it do?" Ilian asked surprised.

"I have to send the top three cards from my deck to the graveyard and then I can add one level four or lower Lightsworn monster from my deck to my hand.", Thomas explained as he putted his top three cards in the graveyard. "And I choose Ehren, Lightsworn Monk. Next, I summon her in attack mode."

A black-haired girl appeared and looked angry at Ilian.

**Ehren, Lightsworn Monk: (lv4, Warrior, ATK 1600 DEF 1000)**

"Ehren, attack his monster" Thomas ordered.

Ehren raised her leg and kicked Ilian's monster with it. However, the monster just disappeared after their first contact.

"What happened? Why didn't my monster go to the graveyard?" Ilian asked.

"It's Ehren's ability. If she attacks a face-down monster it just goes back to your deck without damage calculation," Thomas explained. "Then I set one card and end my turn."

As soon as Thomas announced the end of his turn, he took the top three cards from his deck and putted them in the graveyard.

"Before I forget, at the end of my turn, Ehren requires me to send the top three cards from my deck to the graveyard. Fortunately enough, I milled Wulf, Lightsworn Beast. If he is milled, I can special summon him from the graveyard."

Out of the ground a giant wolf holding an axe emerged to protect Ehren.

**Wulf, Lightsworn Beast: (lv4, Beast-Warrior, ATK 2100 DEF 300)**

"That's a great move" Ilian admired. "But now it's my turn. First I summon Thunder King Rai-Oh."

A blue-armored creature caused some lightning bolts as a way to enter the field.

**Thunder King Rai-Oh: (lv4, Thunder, ATK 1900 DEF 800)**

"And because I summoned him, I can activate my face-down card. Activate, Judgment of Thunder" Ilian declared. "Its effect is very simple: If I summon a Thunder-type monster, I can destroy a card on your side of the field. So I choose Wulf, Lightsworn Beast."

A giant lightning bolt emerged from the sky and attacked the poor wolf before he shattered apart.

"And now my Thunder King will attack Ehren with 'Royal Thunder'", Ilian announced.

Like before, a lightning bolt appeared and hit the defenseless girl.

**LP Thomas: 8000 – 300 = 7700**

"Clever," Thomas smiled. "Taking two monsters out in one attack."

"Glad you like it. Then I end my turn."

"Draw," Thomas stated. "Solar Recharge, activate" Thomas declared.

"What does it do?" Ilian wondered.

"If I discard a Lightsworn I can draw two new cards. Then, I have to send the top two cards from my deck to the graveyard", Thomas explained while he discarded a second copy of Wulf and drew his new cards.

"Now I summon Jain, Lightsworn Paladin in attack mode."

A white-haired girl wearing a red cape and a white armor appeared. She raised her sword and pointed it to the Thunder King.

**Jain, Lightsworn Paladin: (lv4, Warrior, ATK 1800 DEF 1200)**

"Jain, attack that Thunder King" Thomas ordered.

"Are you insane?" Ilian shouted. "Why do you want to commit suicide?"

"I don't. If Jain attacks a monster her attack increases with 300."

**Jain, Lightsworn Paladin: ATK 1800 + 300 = 2100**

"No" Ilian screamed while he saw his monster being killed by the merciless warrior.

**LP Ilian: 8000 – 200 = 7800**

"That's enough for now," Thomas said. "However, since I ended my turn, Jain requires me to send the top two cards from my deck to my graveyard."

_Another two cards_, Ilian wondered. _If I recall correctly, he already sent 14 cards to the graveyard due to his strategy. Knowing that he has four cards in his hand and two on the field, his deck only contains 20 cards. How can he possibly win if he destroys his own deck?_

"My turn" Ilian declared while he drew a card, restoring his hand to five cards.

"First, I activate Hand Destruction. Now we both have to discard two cards and then draw two new cards" he said while he took his cards and slid them in the graveyard. "Next, I activate Battery Charger. In exchange for 500 Life Points, I can summon a Batteryman from my graveyard, so come forth, Batteryman AA."

**LP Ilian: 7800 – 500 = 7300**

Out of the ground a small, orange battery appeared and looked really scared.

**Batteryman AA: (lv3, Thunder, ATK 0 DEF 0)**

"I know what you think," Ilian said, surprising Thomas a bit. "You think my monster is worthless and you're right. He is weak right now. However, for every Batteryman AA on my field, he gets 1000 attack points. "And that's exactly where my next card comes in, Inferno Reckless Summon."

Out of the ground an army of skeletons emerged and transformed in other Batteryman AA's.

**Batteryman AA: (lv3, Thunder, ATK 0 DEF 0)**

**Batteryman AA: (lv3, Thunder, ATK 0 DEF 0)**

"Where did they come from?" Thomas exclaimed shocked.

"Inferno Reckless Summon can only be activated if I special summon a monster with 1500 or less ATK and you control a monster. In return, I can summon as many copies of the summoned monster as possible from everywhere. The drawback is that you also can select a monster and summon those copies. So go ahead", Ilian explained smiling.

"I get it. That means I can summon two more Jains to my field."

Just like with the Batteries, two more warriors appeared and looked to their enemies.

**Jain, Lightsworn Paladin: (lv4, Warrior, ATK 1800 DEF 1200)**

**Jain, Lightsworn Paladin: (lv4, Warrior, ATK 1800 DEF 1200)**

"It seems you made a mistake. In exchange for getting two monsters, you gave me two more powerful cards. Do you have another plan?"

"Who says your monsters are the strongest?" Ilian started.

"What do you mean?" Thomas asked confused. "My monsters have 1800 attack points and yours have zero."

"I think you're wrong. Remember what I said. For each Batteryman AA on my field they get 1000 points. And since I have three of them…"

"They each have 3000 attack points", Thomas gasped in horror as he saw the opposing batteries grow at a rapid pace.

**Batteryman AA: ATK 0 + 1000 * 3 = 3000**

**Batteryman AA: ATK 0 + 1000 * 3 = 3000**

**Batteryman AA: ATK 0 + 1000 * 3 = 3000**

"And since they're the stronger ones right now, I think I'll attack your monsters. Batterymans, attack those warriors with 'United Thunder'" Ilian ordered.

Up to three times the Batteries attacked and each time they destroyed one warrior.

**LP Thomas: 7700 – 1200 = 6500**

**LP Thomas: 6500 – 1200 = 5300**

**LP Thomas: 5300 – 1200 = 4100**

"That's an impressive technique," Thomas replied impressed. "Is that the key move of your deck?"

"Almost. I just needed one card before I could show the ultimate power of my deck."

"Interesting. However, since it's my turn now I'll draw a card. And I've just drawn the perfect card to break your combo."

"You're bluffing," Ilian replied. "You don't have such a card."

"Not at all. I activate the magic card 'Foolish Burial'."

"I know that card," Ilian stated. "Now you can send one monster from your deck to your graveyard."

"Exactly. And I select my third copy of Wulf. And I think you know what that means."

As soon as Thomas putted the card in his graveyard, the beast came out of it and roared as a sign of his appearance.

**Wulf, Lightsworn Beast: (lv4, Beast-Warrior, ATK 2100 DEF 300)**

"But I'm not keeping because I'll tribute him for the real card. Behold for the goddess of light, Celestia, Lightsworn Angel."

The wolf vanished and instead a blue-haired girl wearing a white armor emerged.

**Celestia, Lightsworn Angel: (lv5, Fairy, ATK 2300 DEF 200)**

"I don't get it," Ilian said confused. "How is this card going to break my combo?"

"I'll show you. Celestia, destroy his batteries with 'Bright Hikari'."

Celestia raised her wand before the batteries vanished in the pure light.

"How is this possible? Where are my monsters?" Ilian exclaimed.

"When Celestia is tribute summoned and the tribute was a Lightsworn, I can send four cards from my deck to the graveyard in order to destroy two cards on my opponent's field. And since the number of batteries decreases, their goes down too."

**Batteryman AA: ATK 3000 – 1000 * 2 = 1000**

"But that means my monster is vulnerable for your next attack", Ilian exclaimed.

"I'm sorry, but yes. Celestia, attack that battery."

Celestia raised her wand, but instead of firing a light beam, the glowing wand just makes the battery turn into particles of light.

**LP Ilian: 7300 – 1300 = 6000**

"So that's what you meant with 'break your combo'. You sure are good."

"To bad I have to end my turn", Thomas replied.

"Then it's my turn," Ilian declared while he draws for his turn. "And I'll set one monster before I end my turn."

"Then I'll continue this duel. And that means I'll summon my next monster. Come forth, Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner."

Next to Celestia a tanned, blond-haired girl in white clothes appeared.

**Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner: (lv3, Spellcaster, ATK 1000 DEF 1000)**

"And now I'll activate her effect. If I discard a card from my hand, I can special summon level four or lower Lightsworn monster from my graveyard. So I'll discard Monster Reincarnation to revive Aurkus, Lightsworn Druid."

As soon as Thomas slid the magic card in his graveyard, a white-haired man, once again wearing white clothes emerged and accompanied his female comrades.

**Aurkus, Lightsworn Druid: (lv3, Beast-Warrior, ATK 1200 DEF 1800)**

"Next I activate my face-down card: Solar Ray. For each Light monster I control you lose 600 Life Points. And since I control three of them that means you'll lose 1800 Life Points."

Ilian closed his eyes as he was blinded by the bright flash. Nevertheless, the light shined so hard it still hurt to his eyes.

**LP Ilian: 6000 – 600 * 3 = 4200**

"And I still haven't attacked this turn. Celestia, attack his face-down monster."

Just like before, the glowing wand was enough to erase Ilian's monster from the field. The destroyed monster revealed itself as a small, pink battery who created a lightning flash which resulted in a new battery.

"What happened?" Thomas asked surprised. "Where did that card come from?"

"It's my monster's effect," Ilian explained. "The card you destroyed was a Batteryman Micro-Cell. If he is flipped face-up I'm allowed to summon a level four or lower Batteryman from my deck. So I chose the card Ehren returned to my deck in the second turn of our duel: Batteryman D."

The monster that appeared on Ilian's field was a large, yellow battery with green arms and legs.

**Batteryman D: (lv1, Thunder, ATK 0 DEF 1900)**

"Also," Ilian continued his explanation, "If Batteryman Micro-Cell is destroyed in a battle, I can draw one card", he clarified while he took advantage of his extra draw.

"Interesting effect," Thomas mused. "And since my monsters don't have enough attack points to destroy your monster I just set two more cards before I end my turn. However, since I end my turn I have to send five more cards to the graveyard thanks to the effects of Aurkus and Lumina."

Once more, Thomas took the top cards from his deck and putted them in the graveyard slot. From what he could see, his deck started to become really thin. Also, he realized that if the duel continued at this rate he might lose due to a deck out.

_What is the goal of this?_ Ilian asked himself. _According to my counting he already sent 28 cards to the graveyard. Given the fact that he has three cards in his hand and five on the field means that he only has four cards left in his deck. Furthermore, at the end of his next turn he has to send 5 more cards from his deck to the graveyard which means his deck will be empty and he'll lose automatically. But he still looks so confident. What kind of plan can he possibly have?_

"Is something wrong?" Thomas asked concerned, interrupting Ilian's thoughts. "It's your turn."

"You're right," Ilian replied. "And I'll start with the magic card 'Lightning Vortex'. Now I'll simply discard a card from my hand to destroy all your monsters."

"I don't think so," Thomas stated. "I still have my face-down cards left and I intend to use them. I activate the trap card Solemn Judgment."

"No!" Ilian exclaimed. "That means my Lightning Vortex will become invalid."

"Exactly. It costs half my Life Points but in exchange your card will be negated."

The thunder Ilian created was stopped by a single man with a long, grey beard. He raised his hand and simply absorbed all the energy before he vanished.

**LP Thomas: 4100 / 2 = 2050**

"Not bad," Ilian commented with a smile. "But I have more. I sacrifice Batteryman D to summon my strongest monster. Come forth, Super-Electromagnetic Voltech Dragon."

A mechanical dinosaur-like creature emerged and let out a roar that could be heard all across the forest.

**Super-Electromagnetic Voltech Dragon: (lv5, Thunder, ATK 2400 DEF 1000)**

"So this is your best card," Thomas commented. "It sure is impressive."

"Wait until it attacks," Ilian answered. "Voltech Dragon, attack Lumina with 'Electro Balls'."

The monster opened his mouth and started to fire balls of thunder at the young girl.

"I'm not going to let that attack proceed," Thomas stated. "I activate the trap card Dimensional Prison. "That means your monster will be removed from play and my monster won't get harmed."

Between the girl and the machine a portal opened which tried to suck the machine into eternity. However, the machine simply waved an arm to move the portal away. Therefore, the attack went through and caused Lumina to disappear.

**LP Thomas: 2050 – 1400 = 650**

"What happened?", Thomas asked amazed. "Dimensional Prison should've erased your monster, but he's still here."

"It's my monster's effect," Ilian started. "You see, depending on the battery I tribute to summon him, he gets another effect. Since I sacrificed 'Batteryman D' he becomes immune to spells and traps that target him. Unfortunately enough, I have to end my turn here."

"Then this will be the last turn of our duel," Thomas stated. "If I don't win now, I'll lose by deck out. But before that happens, I'll tribute Aurkus to summon a card with unmatched power, the pride of my deck, Gragonith, Lightsworn Dragon."

A white dragon landed on the duel field. He spread his enormous wings to mark his appearance before he glared to his opponent to see if he was worthy to face him.

**Gragonith, Lightsworn Dragon: (lv6, Dragon, ATK 2000 DEF 1600)**

"He is strong," Ilian said "But his attack points don't reach those of Celestia or my Voltech Dragon. What do you mean with 'unmatched power'?"

"He receives the power of his fallen comrades who are resting in the graveyard. For each of them he gets 300 attack points. And I'm sure you noticed the bunch of cards I sent to the cemetery during our duel."

Ilian's eyes went wide as he heard the effect of Thomas' dragon. The dragon itself started to glow as you saw him absorb the power from his friends.

"And just to be clear," Thomas said "I have 10 different Lightsworns in my graveyard which means 3000 additional points."

Ilian became horrified by such a statement as he heard the dragon roar.

**Gragonith, Lightsworn Dragon: ATK 2000 + 300 * 10 = 5000**

"And I guess you know what that means: Gragonith, attack Voltech Dragon with 'Divine Light'."

Gragonith flew to the sky until he was about 20 meter off the ground. Then he opened his mouth and started to illuminate the entire field.

"You won't win this duel so easy," Ilian stated. "I still have a card left in my hand and I intend to use it: Honest, end this duel."

A male fairy with giant wings appeared in the sky. He started to transfer all his power to the giant machine who used its new power to launch a counterattack.

**Super-Electromagnetic Voltech Dragon: ATK 2400 + 5000 = 7400**

The two attacks clashed into each other and caused the entire forest to illuminate. When the light was gone, both Thomas and Ilian lied back on the ground. From the machine was nothing left except for its head. The dragon on the other hand remained unharmed and roared once again. This time as a victory sign.

**LP Ilian: 4200 – 5000 = 0**

When the dragon vanished Ilian and Thomas got up their feet again.

"Well done, Ilian," Thomas said. "You proved my right. Lokinians are a lot better than the rumors say."

"But in the end I still lost," Ilian smiled. "How did you actually defeat my Voltech Dragon?"

"The same way you powered him up. I simply used my own 'Honest'," Thomas confessed while he showed him his own copy of that card. "When our monsters enlightened everything, I used it to counter your 'Honest'."

"I should've known something like that would happen to me," Ilian confessed. "Nevertheless, I should thank you for dueling me."

"The honor is mutual" Thomas said.

"Why don't you come over sometime? I know it isn't the same as in Odin Palace, but it's a nice place."

"You know what, I'll try to come over sometime. I have a feeling we could be very close friends."

"I'll remind you to those words," Ilian smiled. "But I have to go now. It's already getting late and I think my roommates are wondering where I am."

* * *

><p>With those words Ilian went back to Loki Mansion. There, Rick and Max were still waiting. In a long distance, they saw someone walking towards them. The person was no-one else than Ilian.<p>

"What took you so long?" Rick asked. "You missed dinner."

"I had a duel against a great duelist," Ilian responded calmly. "Unfortunately, I lost. However, I think that guy is even able to beat you, Rick."

"You must be tired" Max said.

"I propose we all go to sleep" Rick said.

Ilian and Max both agreed. So they just went to their beds. From there, Ilian looked outside the window to the stars.

_I'm not sure what will happen, but this year's certainly going to be interesting_ he thought before he fell asleep.

* * *

><p><strong>Max: <strong>"Another day means another chapter."

**Rick: **"And that means a new duel."

**Ilian: **"Next time, Rick is called to the faculty for some reason."

**Rick: **"What! I didn't do anything wrong at all."

**Max: **"That's what you say. But what is going on?"

**Ilian: **"I never said he did something against the rules."

**Max: **"But if he didn't break a rule or something why do they call him?"

**Ilian: **"Next time on _Yu-Gi-Oh European Duel Academy_: **'The Determined Test'**."

**Rick: **"What is that supposed to mean?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Before I forget, if you have some free time, (which you'll propably have since school's out) and you don't want to wait for my next chapter check out my friend's story. Just look at his username in the first notes. I'm sorry that it isn't a Yu-Gi-Oh fic but it still is good.

Also, don't forget to review. Have a nice vacation.


	6. The Determined Test

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or anything designed by its original creator. I do own every character and card I create. (If I ever create those.)

**A/N:** Sorry for taking so long to update. Problem is that I didn't had much time to write the last few weeks. Hope this makes up for everything. Enjoy!

* * *

><p>During night, while everyone was asleep, the teachers were evaluating everyone's progress at the academy ever since their entrance. Every student had a file with his or her name on with their results. How good their knowledge about dueling is, what kind of deck he uses, his duel results and so on. Currently, they were discussing Rick.<p>

"We have to admit his dueling skills are impressive," a female voice said. "I mean, he defeated both Professor Helsingborg and Emma Weller. That isn't nothing."

"There is no denying he is a good duelist, but to really give him permission to…" another voice protested.

"Then we'll test him," Professor Helsingborg proposed. "I'll select someone he can prove himself against. If he wins we'll accept to promote him. What do you think, Principal Von Schroeder?"

Principal Leon Von Schroeder also gathered the meeting. As the principal of the school he is the one who makes the final decision in the evaluation. He had half-long maroon hair and looked to Professor Helsingborg with his hazel-colored eyes. "And who exactly had you in mind?" he asked.

"Him," Professor Helsingborg stated while he took another file and showed it to the others. "I think he's a worthy opponent, don't you think?"

The others looked at each other, thought for a minute and eventually agreed.

"All right," Principal Von Schroeder said. "I accept your offer. Rick will duel him to see whether we promote him or not."

* * *

><p><strong>Yu-Gi-Oh European Duel Academy<strong>

**Turn Six: The Determined Test**

* * *

><p>A few weeks have passed since Rick and Emma's duel and nothing really exciting happened since then. Right now, Rick, Ilian and Max were taking a big test to see what they learned ever since they got here. The test was just about basic dueling. In other words: How to summon a monster, different types of cards and so on. While the questions were quite easy, there were so many it was nearly impossible to answer every question.<p>

The test was taken by Miss Moreno. Her Spanish roots was resembled in her tanned skin, her black hair that went to her shoulders and her dark eyes. She was the head of Loki Mansion.

"Time's up," she said. "Please put your test on my desk before you leave. I'll try to correct them as soon as possible."

"Please take your time," Max said. "I know my test is going to be horrible."

"Don't worry about it" Ilian comforted him.

"Ilian's right," Rick went on. "You improved a lot since we came here. You'll see, your test will be good."

They decided not to think about it anymore and walked to the door. While Max and Ilian walked outside Rick was stopped by Miss Moreno.

_Not again_ Rick thought to himself.

"What's the problem?" Rick asked.

"The principal wants to see you" she said with steady voice.

"Why?" Rick asked. "My grades aren't that bad, are they?"

"I'm not allowed to say anything about this," she continued. "Just follow me."

_Why do I have the feeling something isn't good about this?_, he asked himself while he walked out of the classroom, on his way to the principal's office.

* * *

><p>At the principal's office, three more people were waiting for Rick's arrival. They all gathered at the table in the middle of the room and were waiting for Rick to join them.<p>

"Take a seat," Principal Von Schroeder welcomed them. "We've been waiting."

"Why did I have to come?" Rick asked while he putted himself down on a chair.

"Start the video" Principal Von Schroeder ordered.

Professor Helsingborg pushed a button on a remote which caused the wall to open and make a giant television appear. The next moment a video started to play.

_And now I activate 'Tempest Burn'. For each spell counter I remove on the field you lose 500 Life Points. And since I currently control 10 that means you'll lose 5000 Life Points._

"That's my duel exam," Rick interrupted. "Why are you showing this to me?"

Everyone remained silent while the next video started.

_Supreme Arcanite Magician, attack Neo-Parshath with 'Supreme Arcanite Magic'. _

_And now I'll finish this duel. Breaker, attack._

"And that's my duel against Emma. What are you saying?"

"As you already commented," Professor Helsingborg said. "These are your duels. It shows us that you have great skills for a Lokinian."

"However, even with your talent, we can't do anything to help you" Miss Moreno went on.

"So during are evaluation yesterday we decided to give you a promotion duel", Principal Von Schroeder explained. "If you can defeat the duelist we've chosen for you, we'll promote you to Thor Castle."

"Really?" Rick exclaimed.

"Yes. However, as a drawback you are not allowed to know your opponent. It might lead into you making an anti-deck for your opponent so that you can win easily" Professor Helsingborg responded.

"Of course the chosen duelist will be an Odinian," Principal Von Schroeder continued. "It would have no point giving you an opponent from your own dorm as it wouldn't be a good test for you."

"The duel will have place in our Duel Arena tomorrow if you accept" Miss Moreno announced.

"Of course I accept this challenge," Rick stated. "I can't throw such an opportunity away."

"I see," Professor Helsingborg concluded. "You are free to go now."

After being informed about his coming duel Rick went back to his dorm. As usual Max and Ilian weren't doing anything and were just relaxing. On the other hand they were shocked when Rick told them about his conversation with the faculty.

"A promotion duel?" Ilian asked. "Are you serious?"

"Why would I make such a thing up?" Rick asked back.

"But what will happen to us when you go to Thor Castle?", Max asked worried.

"I have no idea" Rick simply answered.

"I can't say I'm that surprised about this call" Ilian stated.

"What do you mean by that?" Max asked confused.

"I don't get it either" Rick agreed.

"It's just that Rick had some impressive duels against strong opponents," Ilian clarified. "For example, I saw his examination duel against Professor Helsingborg which wasn't easy at all."

"Or the one time we had our triangle duel" Max added.

"That's right," Ilian said. "Even there he gave his all to defeat us."

Rick, who was listening to his friends, decided to walk outside without Max and Ilian noticing it. He lied down in the grass in front of his dorm and stared to the sunset.

_So I get a promotion duel. And if I win I'll get promoted to Thor Castle._ _But I'm not really sure whether I want this or not. Yes, the duelists are better and probably it will be a step up from where I am now. However, I'm happy here. I made some great friends and I'm afraid that if I go to another dorm I might lose them. But is it worth everything…_

Inside Max and Ilian just realized Rick left. However, they didn't go look for him.

"Why do you think Rick left?" Max asked.

"I'm not sure what he thinks at the moment" Ilian replied.

"What do you mean with that?"

"Ever since he entered the academy he constantly looked after us to see nothing happened to us. For example, he dueled your sister and risked everything just to restore your confidence. For some reason it feels like he doesn't want to leave at all."

"You're saying he considers us as good friends, doesn't he?" Max asked.

"Of course I do. And I consider him my friend to" Ilian stated.

"Then you have to let him make his own choices," Max said gently. "We'll have to support him in his next duel and put him in the first place. "That's the meaning of true friendship."

"I didn't know you could be this deep" Ilian commented.

"It's one of the things I learned when Emma was heartless", Max explained. "I learned that even when Emma didn't care about anyone, I would still care for her. No matter what happens, she will always be my sister so I'll always try to make sure she's all right."

"Thank you, Max," Ilian said. "Now I realize the true meaning of friendship."

* * *

><p>The following day Rick was already outside to watch the sunrise before anyone else woke up. He simply went to the sea and stared to the upcoming sun.<p>

_A new day comes and goes_, he thought. _And for as long as I live I never turned down a challenge and always tried my hardest. But this duel is different. For once I don't know whether I want to win or not. Of course I won't back down but I don't know what will happen if I win._

Rick took his deck and looked at the bottom card. _United We Stand_, he realized. _Max's right. It's the card that represents everything. United we stand, divided we fall. That's what I forgot. No matter where you go, your friends will always be in your heart. _

* * *

><p>The sun stood at his highest point which meant it was noon when Rick entered the Duel Arena. His Duel Disk was attached to his left arm. His eyes glared at everything yet looked so calm. And like before, he walked to the field along with his friends.<p>

"Do you think you can win?" Max asked.

"There's no reason to duel at all if you don't think you have a chance," Rick responded calmly. "No matter how strong your opponent is, you always have to have faith in yourself."

"As long as you remember that it's just a fun duel," Ilian reminded him. "So you don't have to worry about us."

Rick didn't answer but just smiled before he entered the field.

_Every duel is important to a real duelist_ Rick thought. _But this duel might be twice as important because this can determine my future. On the other hand, I make my own future._

In the meantime Max and Ilian took a seat and looked at Rick and the rest of the field while his opponent didn't appear yet.

"Come to think of it," Ilian said. "I don't remember who Rick's opponent is in this duel."

"For some reason I think even Rick doesn't know who he'll be facing. But I have a feeling that tells me that his opponent is stronger than my sister" Max simply replied.

"If his opponent is even stronger than Emma Rick might be in some serious trouble" Ilian realized.

At the same time Rick's opponent finally entered the Duel Field. Seeing the red uniform Max immediately recognized the fact he was an Odinian. However, the curled hair and the glasses he was wearing caused Ilian to gasp in shock.

"Guten Tag," the guy greeted Rick in proper German. "Meine Name ist Thomas Gerland."

"Nice to meet you. My name is Rick Claeys" he greeted him back.

"I've heard great things about you. I saw a heart willing to help his friends under any circumstance and have the power to keep fighting no matter what happens. Can you show me the same skills in our duel?" Thomas asked interested.

"I can say I've heard things about you as well. I saw a duelist with great talent and even more respect for his opponents. Show me those skills" Rick stated.

"It's better to lose a duel fighting someone who fought with everything he has than to win against someone who didn't even try" Thomas told him back.

"I couldn't agree more," Rick answered back. "So who will begin this duel?"

"What do you say if I go first?" Thomas proposed.

"If that's what you want, go ahead" Rick commented.

"DUEL" they both exclaimed together.

"I'm not sure but I think Rick is acting differently than usual" Ilian noticed.

"It's like he hasn't made up his mind yet" Max said.

"And if he doesn't make it up quickly it won't be necessary anymore" Ilian replied.

"Since I go first I'll set one monster," Thomas said. "That's enough for now."

"If that's your style, I'll show mine," Rick stated. "Come forth, Crusader Of Endymion."

The blue-armored warrior appeared on the field and glared to the face-down card.

**Crusader Of Endymion: (Lv4, Spellcaster, ATK 1900 DEF 1200)**

"And since you have nothing to defend your monster, I'll just attack it now" Rick announced.

The warrior clenched his fist and punched his opponent with it, but to his dismay it hurt him more than his victim.

**LP Rick: 8000 – 200 = 7800**

"I'm sorry," Thomas confessed "But Jenis is too strong to be defeated by such an attack."

A priestess in a white dress revealed herself before she went down on one knee and used her scepter as a shield.

**Jenis, Lightsworn Mender: (Lv 4, Spellcaster, ATK 300 DEF 2100)**

"I should've expected a monster with such a defense seeing that you didn't play any trap cards," Rick understood. "So I'll play one face-down card before I end my turn."

"I'll summon Ehren, Lightsworn Monk", Thomas announced while he putted the card in his Duel Disk.

A tanned angry girl with brown hair entered the field with an overwhelming presence.

**Ehren, Lightsworn Monk: (Lv4, Warrior, ATK 1600 DEF 1000)**

"I don't get it", Rick said confused. "Ehren is weaker than my Crusader. Why would you put it in attack mode?"

"So I can do this," Thomas responded with a smile. "I activate Lightsworn Sabre. This card becomes an attachment to a Lightsworn monster and increases its attack with 700 points.

A long blue sword appeared in Ehren's right hand. She swung a few times with it to master its power.

**Ehren, Lightsworn Monk: ATK 1600 + 700 = 2300**

"Ehren, attack that Crusader with 'Slashing Light'" Thomas ordered.

Ehren ran forward and used her sword to slice her enemy in two.

**LP Rick: 7800 – 400 = 7400**

"And before I end my turn, I set one card" Thomas said.

The moment Thomas declared the end of his turn, he sent three cards in his graveyard. Rick watched in amazement as he saw the cards disappear into nothing.

"Why do you remove those cards from your deck?" Rick asked amazed.

"Every turn Ehren requires me to send three cards from my deck to the graveyard", Thomas clarified to everyone. "But there is a good side. Since a Lightsworn required me to mill a card, Jenis' effect activates. Now she'll transfer 500 Life Points from you to me."

The priestess raised her wand and started to drain a bit of Rick's energy. The absorbed energy became released immediately and went to Thomas' Duel Disk.

**LP Rick: 7400 – 500 = 6900**

**LP Thomas: 8000 + 500 = 8500**

"I don't really know what to think of his strategy, but is interesting," Max commented. "However, that Ehren can deck him out before he unveils his best cards."

"That milling is the power of his deck" a female voice interrupted Max. Surprised, Max and Ilian looked up only to be even more shocked by Emma's presence.

"Emma?", Max asked astonished. "What are you doing here?"

"In the first place I came here to say hello to my younger brother," she said with a smile. "But I mostly came here because of the rumors about this duel. I don't know whether you've heard about him before, but they say Rick's opponent is the best student of the entire first year. From what I've heard he's the National German Champion under 18."

"No way," Max responded. "He can't be that good."

"But he is," Ilian finally spoke. "You remember I left once to duel someone, right?"

"I do. But what has that to do with this?"

"He was my opponent that time," Ilian revealed to Emma and Max's amazement. "And he is even better than they say. He uses an almost unseen technique to mill his deck. And when his deck only contains a few more cards he'll unleash his true power."

"Thomas uses a decktype known as 'Lightsworns'," Emma explained to Max. "Almost everyone has the effect that makes them discard. But the true strength relies in the cards that benefit from milling."

"Benefit from milling?" Max asked, still not understanding everything.

"Thomas has some cards that rely on the graveyard", Ilian continued. "For example, he has a monster that can only be summoned if it is sent from his deck to the graveyard."

"But does that mean Rick doesn't have a chance to win at all?" Max asked worried.

"If there is one person good enough to defeat Rick, it's Thomas", Emma stated. "However, that counts for both sides."

"This is so much fun," Rick laughed. "You're such a great duelist."

"You can say the same about you", Thomas answered with a smile.

"But I'm not intending to lose," Rick stated firmly. "I summon Defender, The Magical Knight."

The blue-armored knight entered the field when his shield started to glow as usual.

**Defender The Magical Knight: (Lv4, Spellcaster, ATK 1600 DEF 2000)**

"Next I play 'Book Of Moon'," Rick continued his turn. "This card puts one monster on the field in face-down defense mode. And I choose your Ehren."

A giant blue book emerged and released so much magic that Ehren started to hide herself. In her hurry she lost her sword.

"Now Defender, attack that face-down card" Rick ordered. Of course Ehren had no chance to fight back without her magic sword which resulted in her death.

"And that ends my turn" Rick simply announced.

"Draw," Thomas said. "And now I tribute Jenis to reveal a more powerful monster. The most loyal monster of the Lightsworn army. A monster with unrivaled powers. Descend, Gragonith, Lightsworn Dragon."

Upon the dragon's arrival, the arena illuminated. Out of the light a majestic dragon with giant beautiful wings landed at the same place where Jenis left. The dragon roared to show how powerful he truly was.

**Gragonith, Lightsworn Dragon: (Lv6, Dragon, ATK 2000 DEF 1600)**

"Now Rick's in serious trouble" Ilian said when he saw the dragon.

"I don't get it," Max commented. "He only has 2000 attack points. Almost every high-level monster can destroy that card."

"If it only was this strong there would be no problem", Emma explained. "What you don't know is that Gragonith 300 points gets for every different Lightsworn in the graveyard."

Rick's eyes also widened when Thomas told him about Gragonith's true power.

"And at this very moment I have three Lightsworns in my graveyard", Thomas clarified. "That means Gragonith gains 900 attack points."

**Gragonith, Lightsworn Dragon: ATK 2000 + 300 * 3 = 2900**

"Wait a second", Rick corrected him. "The only Lightsworns in your graveyard are Ehren and Jenis. That means your dragon should only get 600 points."

"Unfortunately enough, no," Thomas corrected him back. "I'm sure you remember the cards Ehren discarded in the third turn. And one of those cards was Jain, Lightsworn Paladin. Which means there are three Lightsworns in my graveyard."

Rick gasped in horror as he finally realized Thomas's true strategy. So did everyone else except for those who already knew the strategy behind the milling.

"Since I have nothing more to say, I'll continue my turn", Thomas said to Rick. "Gragonith, attack his 'Magical Knight' with 'Divine Light'" Thomas ordered.

The dragon flew into the air and roared once again before he fired a light beam which annihilated the defending warrior.

**LP Rick: 6900 – 1300 = 5600**

"Unbelievable", Max exclaimed upon the dragon's assault. "How can you possibly defeat such a powerful monster?"

"If Rick at least intends to defeat him he'll have to do it really quick," Ilian explained. "That dragon becomes stronger every turn and at this rate it might be already impossible to defeat him."

"You give up quite fast", Emma noticed. "You might forget that Rick isn't an ordinary duelist. He faced my Neo-Parshath with more than 10000 points while he only had 600 Life Points left. But what really frustrates me is the fact that you don't believe that your friend can win. He dueled me with the sole reason to help you, Max. He never intended to give up how difficult it seemed. And if he really is your friend, which I think seeing how you care about each other, you should encourage him. You should say how much you believe in the fact that he can win."

Max and Ilian were both astonished by Emma's speech. Her eyes stared to the field. But more important, they showed emotions other than hatred towards others. They showed passion, trust and warm feelings towards her friends.

"Emma's right," Max confessed. "Rick would never turn us down so we shouldn't let him fall."

In the meantime people could see the Duel Field again. To Thomas's surprise Defender somehow survived Gragonith's merciless assault.

"How is this possible?" Thomas asked amazed. "Your knight should've been erased."

"He used his effect" Rick explained.

"Effect?" Thomas asked surprised.

"In my deck Defender is a hero who always saves everyone," Rick clarified. "Once per turn he can remove a number of spell counters to prevent Spellcasters from destruction. He always supports those who need his help. However, the monsters in my deck noticed he was the one who needed help. Therefore they allowed him to save himself. It's the same with friends. Real friends always help each other and pass their strength on to each other. That's the meaning of friendship."

"I get it", Thomas nodded. "Your deck is based upon the bonds between you and you friends. That is such a beautiful way of living. However, since this is still a duel I'll end my turn here. And thanks to Gragonith I send another three cards to the graveyard. And since I milled Garoth, Lightsworn Warrior Gragonith gets 300 more points."

The dragon roared once more in memory of his lost comrade while he absorbed the power of his comrade.

**Gragonith, Lightsworn Dragon: ATK 2900 + 300 = 3200**

"Draw", Rick announced.

He looked at the card he had drawn before he stated: "No matter how strong your dragon is, there is nothing my deck and I can't defeat. And I'll prove it in this turn."

The audience gasped in astonishment while Rick just looked to Gragonith with a determined goal.

* * *

><p><strong>Max: <strong>"The duel is reaching its highlight."

**Ilian: **"Rick and Thomas are so close to each other."

**Rick: **"But in the end, only one of us will win."

**Emma: **"The problem is: If Rick wins he'll have to leave."

**Max: **"With that in mind Rick starts to hesitate."

**Thomas: **"If you're a duelist you'll fight me with everything you have."

**Ilian: **"Next time on _Yu-Gi-Oh European Duel Academy_: **'The Hidden Power Beneath The Duelist'**."

**Rick: **"Am I really afraid to win?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Also, don't forget to review. Reviews might be the best things to give an author. So thanks to anyone who reviews or already reviewed. (Especially those who reviewed multiple times.)


	7. The Hidden Power Beneath The Duelist

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or anything designed by its original creators. I do own every character and card I created myself. (If I ever create those.)

A/N: My sincerest apologies for taking so long to update. School was simply killing me. I'll try to update soon, but I can't promise. For now, enjoy this chapter.

Also, please review this if you read this. That way I can at least answer to people who are reading my story.

* * *

><p>"In my deck Defender is a hero who always saves everyone," Rick clarified. "Once per turn he can remove a number of spell counters to prevent Spellcasters from destruction. He always supports those who need his help. However, the monsters in my deck noticed he was the one who needed help. Therefore they allowed him to save himself. It's the same with friends. Real friends always help each other and pass their strength on to each other. That's the meaning of friendship."<p>

"I get it," Thomas nodded. "Your deck is based upon the bonds between you and you friends. That is such a beautiful way of living. However, since this is still a duel I'll end my turn here. And thanks to Gragonith I send another three cards to the graveyard. And since I milled Garoth, Lightsworn Warrior Gragonith gets 300 more points."

The dragon roared once more in memory of his lost comrade while he absorbed the power of his comrade.

"Draw" Rick announced.

He looked at the card he had drawn before he stated: "No matter how strong your dragon is, there is nothing my deck and I can't defeat. And I'll prove it in this turn."

The audience gasped in astonishment while Rick just looked to Gragonith with a determined goal.

* * *

><p><strong>Yu-Gi-Oh European Duel Academy<strong>

**Turn Seven: The Hidden Power Beneath The Duelist**

* * *

><p>Rick and Thomas glared intensely at each other. They both saw the determination reflected in their eyes. Even the audience became silent by the overwhelming aura they emitted. They only wondered whether Rick was bluffing about destroying Gragonith or not. Since the begin of the duel Thomas completely dominated every single move. This resulted in him getting an easy lead.<p>

**LP Thomas: 8500**

**LP Rick: 5600**

The Duel Field displayed the same result as the Life Points. Rick had 'Defender The Magical Knight' on the field without his spell counter while Thomas had 'Gragonith, Lightsworn Dragon' with over 3000 attack points. Also, both players had one face-down card which they played early in the duel.

"Do you think Rick is bluffing?" Max asked curious. "I mean, there's no way he can kill that dragon with the cards on his field."

"Rick isn't the duelist who resorts to mind games," Emma answered without looking away from the field. "If he says he has a method to kill that card he has a method."

"It isn't that easy," Ilian commented. "Even if Rick has a way to accomplish this, Thomas still has a face-down card left. And my instincts tell me that that card ruins every plan Rick might create."

Emma and Max both looked at Ilian before they realized he was right.

"You forget one thing," Max noticed. "If that card destroys a monster Thomas would've used it to get rid of Defender when he attacked Ehren."

"Ilian's right," Emma remarked. "He didn't activate that card then because Defender would use his immortality effect to negate the destruction. But now Rick used that effect there's nothing that guarantees him he will succeed."

"I summon 'Geomancer Of The Ice Barrier' in attack mode" Rick announced.

A young girl in a blue dress entered the field next to the now defenseless knight. Her face was hidden behind a mirror which reflected the image of Gragonith.

**Geomancer Of The Ice Barrier: (Lv3, Spellcaster, ATK 800 DEF 1200)**

"And together with my brave knight, who did a wonderful job, I'll tune her into a more powerful monster. Appear as the mage you are, 'Arcanite Magician'" Rick announced.

A magic seal with unreadable inscriptions covered the entire field. At the same moment a white-dressed wizard emerged from under the ground before he raised his wand as an entrance.

**Arcanite Magician: (Lv7, Spellcaster, ATK 400 DEF 1800)**

"When 'Arcanite Magician' is summoned he gets 2 spell counters," Rick explained. "For each spell counter he controls he gets 1000 attack points."

**Arcanite Magician: ATK 400 + 2 * 1000 = 2400**

"That card is quite good," Emma commented. "But it doesn't stand a chance against something like Gragonith."

"Then it's obvious Rick has another plan," Ilian argued back. "He will defeat Gragonith no matter what."

"Now I play my next card," Rick went on. "I activate 'Spell Power Grasp'. For those who don't know it, this card allows me to put one spell counter on one card of my choice. And the card I choose is without mentioning 'Arcanite Magician'."

A spell counter emerged in the air and flew right in Arcanite Magician's wand who absorbed it.

**Arcanite Magician: 2400 + 1000 = 3400**

"And as you might have figured out, Gragonith isn't the strongest monster anymore. 'Arcanite Magician' is now," Rick announced. "'Arcanite Magician', attack Gragonith with 'Arcane Destruction'."

The magician raised his wand and pointed it to the majestic dragon before the two monsters illuminated the arena by their immense attack power.

"So these are the best duelists from the first year using their best monsters" Emma commented.

"And when Gragonith's gone, Thomas won't have a monster left that stands a chance against 'Arcanite Magician'" Max further noticed.

"If Gragonith leaves the field," Ilian replied, much to Emma's and Max's surprise. "Thomas might have 'Honest' in his hand. And if he uses its effect Arcanite Magician will be no more."

"But without 'Arcanite Magician' Rick has nothing to defend himself in the next turn" Max gasped.

"And that would immediately result in his loss" Emma concluded.

Meanwhile the light slowly started to vanish and the audience finally could see the field again. However, Gragonith was no more.

**LP Thomas: 8500 – 200 = 8300**

"He did it," Ilian exclaimed excited. "He destroyed Gragonith."

"That means Rick can win this thing" Max added.

"Impressive," Thomas smiled. "I should've known better than summoning Gragonith so early in the duel. Especially against an opponent of your level. I mean, if it was up to me you'd already be at least a Thormentor."

"Thanks," Rick answered back. "But I know I haven't won already. I know you have something behind in case this would happen. Anyway, back to our duel. I activate Arcanite Magician's second effect which allows me to remove a spell counter in order to destroy one card on your field. And seeing as you only have one card left this will be an easy choice."

**Arcanite Magician: ATK 3400 – 1000 = 2400 **

'Arcanite Magician' drained himself of his power to create a light orb. Together with the orb a card named 'Bottomless Trap Hole' left the field."

"And that ends my turn" Rick announced.

"My turn," Thomas said with a slightly German accent. "And I'll start by activating the field magic 'Realm Of Light'."

An array of white buildings covered the field in no time. However, there wasn't a single sign of life across the entire village.

"Huh?" Rick asked amazed. "What are these buildings doing here?"

"This is the 'Realm Of Light'," Thomas explained. "As long as no-one harms my monsters this is a peaceful place. But in times of war they all come to here where they're invincible."

"And now in game terms, please?" Rick asked.

"Every time a card is sent from my deck to my graveyard, this card gains a 'shine counter'. And for every 'shine counter' on this card every Lightsworn gets 100 attack points."

"That's an interesting card," Rick commented. "Now I understand the power of your deck."

"You haven't seen it all. I activate 'Charge Of The Light Brigade'. If I send three cards to the graveyard I can add a Lightsworn monster from my deck to my hand. So I mill three cards and pick 'Shire, Lightsworn Spirit'," Thomas clarified. "And since I milled 'Wulf, Lightsworn Beast' I can special summon him on the field."

A muscled wolf carrying an axe emerged from the graveyard in the middle of the village.

**Wulf, Lightsworn Beast: (Lv4, Beast-Warrior ATK 2100 DEF 300)**

"What," Max exclaimed. "How can he summon a card from the graveyard without 'Monster Reborn' or something like that?"

"As I said, Thomas's deck uses a lot of graveyard advantage," Ilian explained to Max. "Wulf is a special card that can only be summoned if it is sent from the deck to the graveyard."

"And before I forget, since I sent cards from my deck to the graveyard 'Realm Of Light' gains a 'shine counter'," Thomas said.

And with the first 'shine counter' the first building illuminated which attracted Wulf to that tower.

**Wulf, Lightsworn Beast: ATK 2100 + 100 = 2200**

"Now I summon 'Shire, Lightsworn Spirit'" Thomas said as he continued his turn.

A blond-haired fairy appeared and flew to the top of the brightest tower.

**Shire, Lightsworn Spirit: (Lv3, Fairy, ATK 400 DEF 1400)**

"I know she doesn't look dangerous but I shouldn't underestimate her because for every Lightsworn in my graveyard she gains 300 attack points. And since there are five Lightsworns in my graveyard she gains 1500 attack points and another 100 from the 'Realm Of Light'" Thomas lectured once more.

**Shire, Lightsworn Spirit: ATK 400 + 5 * 300 + 100 = 2000**

"Unfortunately nothing is strong enough yet to beat 'Arcanite Magician'. So I'll just set one card and end my turn which means Shire lets me mill another two that results in another 'shine counter'" Thomas kept speaking while the light turned on in the second building.

**Wulf, Lightsworn Beast : ATK 2200 + 100 = 2300**

**Shire, Lightsworn Spirit: ATK 2000 + 100 = 2100**

"My turn," Rick said. "First I'll replace your monument by mine. I activate the field magic 'Magical Citadel Of Endymion'."

The citadel tried to take over the field but was easily destroyed by a sudden hurricane which caused the 'Realm Of Light' to remain on the field.

"Sorry, but I'll defend my empire at every cost," Thomas stated. "That means I activated 'Mystical Space Typhoon' to remove your home."

"That's fine," Rick responded back. "Because without face-down cards there's nothing to defend you against my next attack. 'Arcanite Magician', attack Shire."

Once more the magician casted a spell, this time to get rid of the opposing fairy.

**LP Thomas: 8300 – 300 = 8000**

"And that should do it for now," Rick said as he ended his turn.

Thomas simply drew a card before he said: "It seems the goddess of luck favors me again. I sacrifice Wulf to summon a monster with enough power to help me win this fight. Appear, 'Celestia, Lightsworn Angel'."

Wulf roared one last time before a purple-haired angel took his place. She had giant beautiful wings and carried a long wand in her right hand.

**Celestia, Lightsworn Angel: (Lv5, Fairy, ATK 2300 DEF 200)**

"Celestia," Emma mused. "That card must have some ability if Thomas puts it in his deck."

"She has an ability," Ilian replied. "But I'm afraid Rick won't like it."

"When Celestia is summoned I can remove four cards from my deck to destroy two cards on your field," Thomas explained. "And I think my choice is obvious. Celestia, destroy his cards with 'Bright Hikari'."

In no time Rick's field was covered in a light so powerful nothing could be seen through it. When the light faded his field was empty.

"My field," Rick exclaimed. "Now I have nothing left to shield myself against your attacks."

"And that's not all," Thomas went on. "Because Celestia's effect became effective the 'Realm Of Light' gains another 'shine counter'."

**Celestia, Lightsworn Angel: ATK 2300 + 300 = 2600**

"And because you have no defense, Celestia, attack Rick with 'Heavenly Fury'" Thomas declared.

Celestia fired a light beam at Rick with such strength he almost fell on his back and made him breath heavily.

**LP Rick: 5600 – 2600 = 3000**

"Impossible," Max shouted. "Rick can't even fight back."

"Rick had some tough duels before, but this might be the hardest challenge of them" Ilian added.

"I don't believe it," Emma commented. "I don't believe Rick will lose until I see it."

"I hope you're right" Max said with a soft voice.

"My apologies," Thomas said. "I hope that attack didn't hurt you too much."

"Why do you apologize?" Rick asked while he stood up again. "For giving me such a great duel? I should thank you for this opportunity. There aren't much duelists who can reach your level so I'm glad I can experience this. But that doesn't mean I'll go easy on you."

"Sie haben Recht," Thomas said. "A real duelist always tries his hardest and aims for a victory. I end my turn."

"My turn" Rick said while he looked to his drawn card. Nevertheless, he was shocked by the card.

_This card… To draw it at this moment, that has to mean something…_

"As I said before I'm grateful for this duel. The stronger your opponent is the harder you have to fight. But at a certain point you reach your limits," Rick started. "And when that time comes, what do you do?"

"What are you saying?" Thomas asked confused. "Are you quitting?"

"When you reach your limits you shouldn't give up, you exceed them," Rick declared. "And when you exceed them you can perform a miracle. I activate the drawn card 'Miracle Synchro Fusion'. This card allows me to remove fusion material monsters in my graveyard from play to summon a fusion monster. So I'll remove 'Arcanite Magician and 'Geomancer Of The Ice Barrier' from play to summon 'Supreme Arcanite Magician'."

The two aforementioned monsters emerged and merged into each other. The result was a purple larger version of 'Arcanite Magician'."

**Supreme Arcanite Magician: (Lv10, Spellcaster, ATK 1400 DEF 2800)**

"Amazing," Emma commented. "This card was even able to defeat Neo-Parshath."

"That means Rick will win after all," Ilian noticed. "I should've expected such a sudden reversal."

"Let's hope this card can turn the tide", Max said carefully.

"So this is your true ace," Thomas said. "Show me what makes it so powerful."

"I'd be glad to," Rick answered. "When he's summoned he gains two spell counters. And for every spell counter on this card his attack increases with 1000 points."

**Supreme Arcanite Magician: ATK 1400 + 2 * 1000 = 3400**

"Now I activate another copy of 'Spell Power Grasp' to further strengthen my monster. And I add another copy of it to my hand."

**Supreme Arcanite Magician: ATK 3400 + 1000 = 4400**

"'Supreme Arcanite Magician', attack Celestia with 'Supreme Arcanite Magic'" Rick ordered.

The magician used all his power to create a spell so powerful that the field was almost destroyed. Fortunately enough only Celestia didn't survive the tremendous assault.

**LP Thomas: 8000 – 1800 = 6200**

"You're right," Thomas said. "It's been a long time ago since I enjoyed a duel this much. I have to admit, at first I really looked up against this duel. But now we're here I'm so glad we're doing this."

"Then go for it," Rick responded. "Enjoy this as long as it lasts. I end my turn here so give me your best shot."

"This is so admirable about him," Max said. "No matter what happens, Rick always has fun when he duels."

"That's right," Ilian replied. "Even when he dueled Emma he had fun no matter what she said."

"To find so much joy in something is rare," Emma commented. _Is that what qualifies you as one of the chosen ones?_

"My turn," Thomas stated. "I set a monster. That's all for now."

"Interesting," Rick replied. "All right, 'Supreme Arcanite Magician', destroy his monster."

Another light beam emerged from the magician's wand. This time, a little cat got annihilated by it.

"Thanks," Thomas said. "Because you destroyed Rinyan I'm allowed to return a Lightsworn monster to my deck and then draw a card."

"Clever way to avoid an attack," Rick admitted. "That means I'll just set one card before I end my turn."

"Draw," Thomas called for his turn. _What! I can't do anything. I'll have to bluff if I want a chance to win this duel._

"I set two cards", he said. "Your turn."

_Something isn't right_, Rick sensed. _To not summon a monster at this point of the duel means that he doesn't have a monster in his hand. And if he has a backup plan he would've considered his options. But he almost picked two random cards from his hand and just putted them on the field. That means he's bluffing. But can I take such a risk?_

"Rick seems to have some trouble with Thomas's face-down cards" Ilian noticed.

"It isn't that easy," Emma replied. "Putting two cards is a clever move. If he putted one card Rick would summon 'Breaker The Magical Warrior' and destroy that card. And if he sets three cards he might get suspicious and know that it's an act. But with two cards you can easily get an opponent off guard."

_I can summon another monster and try to kill him in this turn_ Rick thought. _On the other hand, that might be according to his plan. And what happens if I don't do anything. I'll have to…_

"Supreme Arcanite Magician, direct attack" Rick suddenly commanded.

Before anyone realized it another attack was launched by the powerful wizard. This time, it just went through everything and knocked Thomas down on the floor.

**LP Thomas: 6200 – 4400 = 1800**

"Awesome," Ilian shouted. "One more attack and you win."

"And with such a monster another will come" Max became optimistic.

"And that concludes my turn" Rick said, still surprised his attack didn't fail.

_He didn't fall for it_, Thomas thought. _It's like he sensed it. His skills certainly are impressive. The weird thing is that his true power didn't show up until he really needed it. But if I don't draw anything helpful I'll lose. I have to draw 'that card'. _

"Give me a good card," Thomas murmured while he drew one. _Not the best, but I have no choice. I'll have to wait until my next turn._

"I summon 'Jain, Lightsworn Paladin' in attack mode" Thomas said.

A white-haired warrior entered the field. She took her sword and prepared herself for a tough battle.

**Jain, Lightsworn Paladin: (Lv4, Warrior, ATK 1800 DEF 1200)**

"And thanks to the 'Realm Of Light' she gets 300 extra points" he continued.

**Jain, Lightsworn Paladin: ATK 1800 + 300 = 2100**

"That's enough for this turn. And now I send another two cards to my graveyard."

**Jain, Lightsworn Paladin: ATK 2100 + 100 = 2200**

Rick didn't announce his turn but just drew a card. He seemed to be thinking really hard.

_If I attack I'll win_, he thought. _But what if he activates a trap? Then I'll ruin it. But more important: If I win I'll change to Thor Palace. What should I do?_

"Now the real trouble begins" Emma noticed.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Ilian asked puzzled. "He's clearly winning."

"That's my point," she replied without looking at him. "Is he willing to attack and win this duel knowing the consequences?"

Max and Ilian became astonished as they realized what Emma was saying. Winning means leaving.

"He should attack," Max said. "He should win and not think about us."

"Then you have to tell him," Emma responded. "Let him know that you'll be friends even if he leaves."

"She's right," Ilian admitted. "Max, let's tell him we are fine with everything."

Max simply nodded as they went downstairs to the arena.

"Rick, don't worry about us. Just win this duel no matter what happens" Ilian said to him.

"Thanks," Rick replied. "That means a lot to me."

"So these are your friends," Thomas noticed. "I see you really care about each other."

"That's right," Rick admitted. "They are important to me. And they just told me I shouldn't be afraid of what lies ahead of me. In other words: I'll end this duel right now. 'Supreme Arcanite Magician', attack Jain one more time" He ordered.

The purple magician fired one final assault to the white warrior who could only watch her coming death. However, the attack was blocked by a magical barrier which easily absorbed the attack.

"I see you've noticed my 'Lightsworn Barrier'," Thomas said. "In exchange of two cards I can negate an attack involving a Lightsworn monster."

"So it wasn't an entire bluff," Rick understood. "But it doesn't matter. I'll end my turn for now."

_I've narrowly escaped this turn and I'm running out of tactics _Thomas worried. _This might be my last turn…_

The expression on his face changed when he saw the card he drawed.

"I once again apologize myself for using this card," Thomas said. "But it's the only way I can win this duel. The conditions are fulfilled since there are four Lightsworns in my graveyard. I summon a new monster with more power than a card may have. As the supreme ruler of the Lightsworns I present 'Judgment Dragon'."

A new dragon with an allure that was even more impressive than Gragonith yet it was less majestic. His grey wings were as immense as its power and presence.

**Judgment Dragon: (Lv8, Dragon, ATK 3000 DEF 2600)**

The audience was stunned by a 3000 point monster that could be summoned without a tribute. Moreover, most people had never even heard about the extremely rare card. And those who did knew that this duel was over.

"I activate Judgment Dragon's effect," Thomas declared. "By paying 1000 Life Points I can destroy every card on the field except itself."

Now the audience was even more astonished. A card with such stats was already impressive but its effect made it a truly fearsome card that could only be used by specific duelists.

**LP Thomas: 1800 – 1000 = 800**

The dragon flew in to the air and emitted an aura so overwhelming that it truly made everything vanish in the light. The monsters disappeared and the 'Realm Of Light' also faded like it never existed. Only the dragon itself remained on the now deserted field.

In the meantime Rick realized he lost. He realized that he couldn't do anything against the incredible power of 'Judgment Dragon'.

"'Judgment Dragon', attack Rick with 'Light Of Justice'" Thomas ordered for the final attack.

The dragon simply obeyed and fired a light beam from its mouth.

**LP Rick: 3000 – 3000 = 0**

"That was a great duel," Thomas said when he walked to Rick. "You're even better than I thought."

"I also didn't know there was a duelist as great as you," Rick replied. "We should do this again sometime."

"I have a feeling we could become close friends" Thomas pointed out.

"I have the same feeling." Rick confessed.

Rick and Thomas shook each other's hand as a sign of their new friendship.

Amongst the audience Emma watched carefully to Rick with a new thought on her mind: _So it is possible for him to lose. But even after his loss he still enjoys everything. He has enough potential to become a really good duelist if he can keep this level. I only wonder whether he is good enough to stop the disaster that will occur sooner or later._

Then she walked away letting Rick enjoy the new friendship he made.

_But that's nothing to worry about for now_. Emma thought while she left the arena.

* * *

><p><strong>Rick: <strong>"So I'll be hanging around in Loki Mansion for now."

**Ilian: **"We also want to announce that Thomas is a new main character."

**Thomas: **"It's an honor to be a part of this story."

**Max: **"Does that mean I have to duel him?"

**Rick:** "That won't happen. However, not everything is this exciting."

**Emma: **"Rick, duel me once again!"

**Thomas: **"Ever since her duel against Rick she has flashbacks in her dreams. By dueling Rick she hopes to remember everything."

**Ilian: **"Next time on _Yu-Gi-Oh European Duel Academy_: **'A Reason To Duel: Rick Vs. Emma'**."

**Emma: **"No matter what happens to me, don't have mercy with me."


	8. A Reason To Duel: Rick Vs Emma

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or anything designed by its original creators. I do own every character and card I created myself. (If I ever create those.)

A/N: I know it's been a long time since I've updated and I wish I'd write faster. Unfortunately, I'm really inconsistent when it comes to writing. I'll try to work on that.

Furthermore I ask you again to review this if you happen to read this. That way I know someone actually reads this. That said, let's move on to this chapter.

* * *

><p>It was a calm night. At the entire island there wasn't a single sign of life. At Odin Palace Emma was asleep.<p>

"_Gem-Knight Ruby, finish Neo-Parshath and this duel off" a female voice said in her dream._

_The warrior took a blade and slayed the giant fairy in half._

_**LP Emma: 0**_

_When Emma's Life Points reached zero the girl slowly walked to her and took a necklace._

"_You shall not intervene my plans. From now on you'll go through life without a heart" the girl stated._

_At the same moment the crystal in the necklace began to shine. Emma just stared helpless and screamed._

Then she awoke from her horrible nightmare. She breathed heavily and walked towards her window. She opened her curtain and stared to the ocean.

_Another dream_ she thought. _Since my loss against Rick I get haunted by this dreams. I do remember parts of that day but I forgot almost everything. I have to find out the reason all of this happened. But how… _

She then returned to bed, her mind lost in her thoughts.

* * *

><p><strong>Yu-Gi-Oh European Duel Academy<strong>

**Turn Eight: A Reason To Duel: Rick Vs. Emma**

* * *

><p>The sun stood high and there were barely clouds. As a result Rick, Max and Ilian decided to relax in front of their dorm. They were accompanied by their new friend Thomas. Ever since he dueled Ilian and Rick he became close friends with them. Though Max found it a bit strange to hang around with an Odinian he didn't really mind and it didn't took a long time for them to become friends too.<p>

"You never told me you dueled each other once" Rick said to Ilian.

"I never expected you guys to meet each other" Ilian responded.

"I never expected you to be roommates" Thomas said.

"I understand that one," Rick agreed. "By the way, why did you accept to duel me?"

"I've seen you duel against Emma Weller and was quite impressed by your performance," Thomas explained. "A week ago Professor Helsingborg came to me and asked me if I wanted to duel a duelist named Rick Claeys. Since I knew you defeated Emma I accepted this opportunity to see it for myself. And I must say, you are even better than I expected."

"I can say the same about you," Rick replied. "Before my entrance exam started I saw you having an impressive duel. And during your duel against me you were outstanding."

"I'm nowhere as good as you think. I defeated you because I have extremely rare and powerful cards. That's all" Thomas stated.

"Even if you say so, you still are an exceptional duelist," Rick replied. "I mean, you are the best duelist of our entire year, and that means a lot."

Thomas didn't reply anything and simply smiled.

At the same time, a silhouette walking to Loki Mansion became visible. Seeing the Duel Disk attached to the right arm the visitor came to duel someone.

Ilian was the first one to notice someone coming. However, he couldn't see who the mysterious person was yet.

"Who is there?" he asked, but the person didn't respond and simply advanced.

"Did you see someone?" Max asked.

"Look over there" Ilian answered, pointing.

The others looked around and finally saw someone appearing. Because she was close enough now everyone recognized her. Seeing the red uniform and the blond hair the girl was no-one else than Emma Weller.

"Emma, what are you doing here?" Rick asked, amazed by her appearance.

"Duel me" she stated to everyone's astonishment.

"Why do you want to duel me?" Rick asked surprised.

"We have some unfinished business I'd like to settle."

"Unfinished business?" Rick asked, completely not understanding what Emma was talking about.

"In our last encounter I told you about that prophecy, remember?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"If you want to know the entire story you'll have to duel me again" Emma explained.

"If that's the case, I'll duel you" Rick said, accepting.

* * *

><p>A few minutes later Rick and Emma looked at each other on the field. Ilian, Max and Thomas had no idea what was going on or why they were going to duel. Nevertheless, they decided to look at it.<p>

"I still don't get it," Rick said. "Can't you just tell me everything?"

"What do you think?" Emma asked back. _But to be honest, if this doesn't work everything will be in vain._

"DUEL" They exclaimed in unison.

"Since I started last time I'll give you the first turn" Emma declared.

"As you wish," Rick replied. "I summon Crusader Of Endymion in attack mode."

A blue-armored warrior entered the field. However, he didn't seem to fight.

**Crusader Of Endymion: (Lv4, Spellcaster, ATK 1900 DEF 1200)**

"Turn end" Rick immediately said.

"Draw," Emma announced. "I set one monster. Your turn."

Seeing Emma end her turn so quick, everyone became surprised.

_Just setting a monster without doing anything else is a bit straightforward for Emma. And why does she per se want to duel me? _Rick wondered. Then again, he started to focus himself on his duel.

"My turn," Rick started. "Skilled Dark Magician, come out."

A dark, mysterious wizard appeared next to 'Crusader Of Endymion'. His outfit was extremely dark in contrast with everything else on the field, which made him look more threatening than he already was.

**Skilled Dark Magician: (Lv4, Spellcaster, ATK 1900 DEF 1700)**

"Skilled Dark Magician, attack her face-down monster" Rick ordered.

The magician raised his wand and created a magic energy strong enough to destroy a male fairy wearing a toga.

"You destroyed Shining Angel," Emma said. "And because you destroyed him I can summon another Shining Angel in attack mode."

Another blond-haired fairy appeared instead of the first one. This one however seemed willing to fight instead of hiding and defending.

**Shining Angel: (Lv4, Fairy, ATK 1400 DEF 800)**

"Crusader Of Endymion, destroy Shining Angel immediately" Rick continued.

The warrior took a crossbow and fired an arrow right the fairy's heart.

**LP Emma: 8000 – 500 = 7500**

The angel fell on the ground before he turned into light particles, but Emma didn't seem to notice it. In fact, she didn't seem to notice anything at all and just stared in front of her.

* * *

><p>"<em>Neo-Parshath, attack Infernal Flame Emperor" Emma declared.<em>

_It was a school break, and Emma was twelve years old. She just defeated another duelist from her class. She seemed happy with her victory, but she had no idea that her entire life would change dramatically that day._

"_Wow, Emma, you're so good," A girl exclaimed. "You must be the best duelist in the entire school."_

"_Duel me, please!" A boy asked excited. "No, I can duel Emma first" Another boy claimed before they started to argue who could duel her._

_Emma blushed and smiled. She just loved dueling and hoped to be a professional duelist one day._

_After that, she decided to duel another kid._

"_DUEL" They shouted together._

* * *

><p>Emma then awoke from her flashback, finally returning to the duel she still was in.<p>

"What happened?" Rick asked confused. "You were so determined to duel me but one attack and you lose your fighting spirit."

"I summon my third Shining Angel" Emma announced.

A third copy of the male fairy appeared, though Emma knew it wasn't strong enough to handle Rick's monsters.

Rick on the other hand also seemed to be thinking really hard.

_This just doesn't make sense, _he thought. _She was so eager to duel me but it almost feels like she isn't serious about this duel. And what went through her when her Life Points went down? Whatever it is, I have to find out if I want to win this duel._

"Your turn" He declared.

"Draw," Emma said. "I summon Gellenduo in attack mode."

Two little creatures appeared on the field. They could be the cutest creatures in the entire world, seeing their innocent eyes and their sad faces.

**Gellenduo: (Lv4, Fairy, ATK 1700 DEF 0)**

"Now I activate Lightwave Tuning," Emma went on. "This card allows me to turn Gellenduo into a tuner monster. Which means I'll immediately tune him together with Shining Angel to synchro summon a stronger monster. I summon the almighty Avenging Knight Parshath."

Gellenduo and Shining Angel merged together to create a new monster. It strongly resembled the regular 'Airknight Parshath', though it looks less human and more powerful.

**Avenging Knight Parshath: (Lv8, Fairy, ATK 2600 DEF 2100)**

"So you were serious about this duel," Rick commented. "That means I have no reason to hold back on you."

"If you are a duelist you should never hold back on an opponent," Emma replied. "Besides, this duel isn't something like a rematch. The stakes in this duel are higher than we might imagine so I'd never forgive you if you aren't serious about this."

"You've changed, didn't you?" Rick asked. "Last time you were more intimidating and a bit arrogant. But it's almost like you became a completely different person since the last time we met."

"I am a different person," Emma stated. "Remember, it was you who defeated me and broke the curse. It was you who kept fighting no matter how difficult it was."

Thomas and Ilian, who were watching the entire duel, became confused by whatever was going on. Ilian knew a bit of Max and Emma's history, though not enough to understand the entire story, but Thomas had not the slightest clue about the reason Rick and Emma are dueling. In fact, If he didn't saw their previous match he would be even more confused due to the current circumstances.

"Do you have any idea why they're dueling?" Thomas asked Ilian, interested in the reason of their duel.

"Well, everything started when Max told us Emma forbad him to use his strongest cards. Because he was too timid and shy Rick challenged her to a duel in order to restore Max's confidence," Ilian told. "And since their duel Emma became more friendly towards everyone. She even accompanied me and Max while you were dueling Rick. But I have to admit I don't know why they are having a second duel, especially if Emma claims this isn't a rematch."

Thomas simply nodded and decided to further watch the duel, so did Ilian. Max on the other hand had some feeling about why Rick and Emma are dueling, though he decided not to tell anyone about it, at least for now.

_It never was her fault everything went like this. If it wasn't for that one day… _Max thought. _If I only could remember what I saw then…_

"I activate Parshath's ability," Emma declared, drawing everyone's attention back to the duel. "I change Crusader Of Endymion to defense mode."

Seemingly against his will, the warrior kneeled down and started to shield himself instead of attacking.

"And now, Avenging Knight Parshath, erase his Crusader" Emma ordered.

'Parshath' took his sword and slayed the opposing 'Crusader' easy in half.

**LP Rick: 8000 – 1400 = 6600**

"So that was the reason you turned my monster to defense mode," Rick figured out. "You're taking this duel even more serious than I already thought."

"As I already said, this isn't an ordinary duel," Emma stated. "This might go beyond our expectations so I can't allow myself to not be serious."

'_Broke the curse', 'Beyond our expectations' _Thomas thought. _What is she talking about?_

"I set one card and leave it at that" Emma called for the end of her turn.

"Draw," Rick said as he started his turn. "And I sacrifice Skilled Dark Magician to summon Magical Marionette."

The dark dressed wizard disappeared and turned into a puppeteer with a red cloak holding a marionette with a sword in every hand.

**Magical Marionette: (Lv5, Spellcaster, ATK 2000 DEF 1000)**

"What do you think about this card?" Rick asked. "Serious enough."

"You don't deceive me, Rick," Emma said. "I know that monster has an ability that makes it worth to be summoned."

"You're right," Rick admitted. "To show his ability I activate Spell Power Grasp. I'm sure you remember what it does so instead of explaining it again I'll put a spell counter on my puppeteer."

"Just tell me the effect of your monster" Emma replied a bit impatient.

"He gets 200 attack points for every spell counter he has, which is handy if has two of them" Rick explained.

**Magical Marionette: ATK 2000 + 400 = 2400**

"Once again, Rick, I know you," Emma stated once more. "You don't summon a monster with such an effect unless he has another effect that makes more sense."

"In exchange for two spell counters Magical Marionette can destroy a monster," Rick clarified. "So I'll remove his counters to destroy your Avenging Knight Parshath."

The puppet's swords glowed and used their energy to penetrate through Parshath before she died.

"And that was just his effect," Rick continued his turn. "Magical Marionette, attack Emma directly."

Once again, the puppeteer ordered his marionette to attack using his swords. As a result, Emma received a merciless attack from the puppet.

**LP Emma: 7500 – 2000 = 5500**

"That's enough for this turn," Rick said. "Your turn, Emma."

But Emma didn't move. Once more her face became pale and she seemed to be somewhere else.

* * *

><p><em>Emma was riding home. Every day she cycled to school and back. Today was nothing different. She came home and wanted to put her bike in the garage but she was stopped. Another girl appeared in front of her. She had blond hair and blue eyes, just like Emma, though she had some ominous look in her eyes.<em>

"_You're Emma Weller, right?" The girl asked._

"_Yes," She answered. "Who are you?"_

"_If you want to know you'll have to duel me" The girl replied with a grin._

"_Sure. But I have to warn you, I'm a pretty decent duelist. This might not take long" Emma declared confident._

_The girl remained unfazed and turned on her Duel Disk, so did Emma._

"_DUEL" They both shouted._

* * *

><p>Emma finally returned to her senses, realizing something felt different. Though she isn't fully aware of whatever happens yet, she realizes this duel can't be stopped anymore.<p>

"Draw," Emma suddenly announced. "I activate my face-down card: 'Mind Crush'. I declare one card name and you discard every copy of it. However, if you don't have any copies of that card I have to discard a card from my hand."

_But it's almost ironic: It feels like that 'Mind Crush' is the reason I don't remember my entire past anymore. And I'm still missing a piece of that puzzle. _Emma considered.

"And the card I choose is 'Spell Power Grasp'" Emma declared.

Rick took the selected card and slid it in the graveyard, dropping his hand to four cards.

"That was a good timing," Ilian mused. "Discarding such an important card was a clever move from Emma."

"Now what will Rick do to counter that?" Thomas asked, interested in what would come.

Emma coincidentally noticed Ilian and Thomas discussing about this duel and chuckled her head.

_It seems they don't get the meaning of this duel. But that was something to be expected. I mean, this duel has nothing to do with them. I only hope Rick understands the true meaning behind this. Or at least has an idea why I challenged him. _

She then stared at the cards in her hand, trying to find the best combo she could make. At once, she found the perfect plan.

"I activate Monster Reborn," She said, placing the card in the Duel Disk. "And I revive Gellenduo."

The two little creatures emerged again on the field, this time in defense mode.

**Gellenduo: (Lv4, Fairy, ATK 1700 DEF 0)**

"I don't get it," Rick said confused. "Why summon 'Gellenduo' instead of 'Avenging Knight Parshath?"

"Have you ever wondered about the deeper meaning of 'Monster Reborn'?" Emma asked with full interest.

"No, I haven't" Rick answered confused, not understanding where this was going.

"The revived monster is rewarded with a second chance," Emma explained. "But why give one specific monster a second chance instead of another. What makes it so special?"

"I still don't get your point" Rick confessed.

"Well, you gave me a second chance too, remember? Why would you be nice to me after all the insults I said? What makes me worthy of a second chance?"

"I don't know," Rick replied. "But I think that everyone deserves that second chance, especially if the mistakes you made aren't your fault."

"No, I shouldn't deserve a second chance. I sacrifice Gellenduo to summon my strongest card: Neo-Parshath, The Sky Paladin."

An angel similar to 'Avenging Knight Parshath' emerged instead of the two cute fairies. However, it didn't seem as powerful as last time.

**Neo-Parshath, The Sky Paladin: (Lv7, Fairy, ATK 2300 DEF 2000)**

"Don't forget that since you played a spell card, Magical Marionette gains 200 points."

**Magical Marionette: ATK 2000 + 200 = 2200**

"But those points won't save him. Neo-Parshath, destroy that puppeteer with 'Clear Sanctuary'."

The giant fairy released a light orb so powerful that Rick's entire field was pulverized. And when the light was gone, Neo-Parshath remained unharmed.

**LP Rick: 6600 – 100 = 6500**

"And I'll set the card I just drawed" Emma said as a sign to end her turn.

"My turn" Rick called, drawing a card.

_This duel is even harder than I expected _Rick thought. _Originally I accepted her challenge to find out the complete story. But now I have to make clear that she doesn't have to regret anything she did. But she doesn't want to listen to me. Then I have no choice than to win this duel and make her realize she shouldn't blame herself._

"Why do you blame yourself for what happened?" Rick asked. "You know it isn't your fault."

"That's easy to say for someone without those regrets," Emma shot back. "I'm sure you never traumatized your brother or were rude for nothing."

_You regret every single thing you said to me, _Max thought, amazed by his sister's statement. _It's been a long time since you've showed such emotions. But Rick's right. You know that one day changed our lives…_

Thomas and Ilian on the other hand didn't completely understand what was going on. Although they were still watching, they knew they didn't realize the true meaning behind this duel.

"I set a monster and a face-down card," Rick simply said while he placed the two cards in his Duel Disk. "Your turn."

"If you say so. But, not everything you say is true," Emma taunted. "Neo-Parshath, attack his monster."

Another orb was fired, but this one was intercepted by an emerging portal in the middle of the field.

"I guess you also remembered 'Dimensional Prison'," Rick said. "Then you also know that without 'Divine Punishment' you can't save him."

And Rick was right; The giant fairy vanished in the portal together with his light orb, leaving Rick's monster alone.

"Not bad, but I still have my card left. I activate Miraculous Descent," Emma revealed. "And that means I can bring Neo-Parshath back" She explained while her monster emerged from a new portal.

"I admit, that was a brilliant counter" Rick confessed.

"And now we're back were we started. Neo-Parshath, attack his monster once again" Emma commanded.

For the third time, Neo-Parshath released a light orb, and this time Rick had nothing to counter with. As a result, his 'Apprentice Magician' was destroyed in that battle.

"Thank you, Emma. Because you destroyed Apprentice Magician I can summon Night's End Sorcerer from my deck" Rick explained.

"I'm sure you also know Neo-Parshath's trample effect," Emma replied. "And that means I can draw another card."

**LP Rick: 6500 – 1500 = 5000**

"I didn't forget," Rick smiled. "Anything else this turn?"

"I know you'll summon 'Explosive Magician' in your next turn," Emma predicted. "And to make sure he won't hurt me I activate Cestus Of Dagla."

**Neo-Parshath, The Sky Paladin: ATK 2300 + 500 = 2800**

Rick became amazed while Emma continued her explanation.

"As far as I know you only have one monster in your deck strong enough to defeat Neo-Parshath. And we both know that there's a small chance you can summon it. But I can't do anything else so it's your turn."

Rick became horrified as he realized Emma was right. The only monster capable of destroying Neo-Parshath was Supreme Arcanite Magician with 3400 attack points. But summoning him required both a synchro monster and 'Miracle Synchro Fusion'. Noticing he hadn't any of those things in his hand or field he knew it was literally impossible to summon him.

Thomas, Ilian and Max also noticed Rick was in a pinch. Though they still didn't realize completely why this duel was being hold they knew Rick had to win both for finding out everything and to make Emma understand she should have no regrets regarding previous events.

_I knew from the beginning this duel would be tough, _Rick thought. _But this exceeds every expectation. She plays more mature and with less flaws than last time. Besides, it's almost impossible to surprise her since she can counter every move I make. And with Neo-Parshath combined to Cestus Of Dagla she can increase her Life Points while I keep on struggling to defend myself._

Emma on the other hand seemed to be thinking too.

_Is this the end for you, Rick? That wouldn't sound like you. You know you have to defeat me in order to find out your destiny. But I can't allow you to win unless we both try our hardest. So show me why you're the one who broke that spell._

"I can't afford to lose this duel," Rick stated. "So I will defeat you."

"Show me" Emma challenged.

* * *

><p><strong>Max: <strong>"Rick and Emma certainly go hard on each other."

**Ilian: **"Though this duel is too complicated for us, it is interesting."

**Emma: **"Are you good enough to defeat me again?"

**Rick: **"That doesn't matter. Winning isn't enough."

**Thomas: **"What is that supposed to mean? What is the story behind this duel?"

**Rick: **"Why don't you tell me the actual story, Emma?"

**Ilian: **"Next time on _Yu-Gi-Oh European Duel Academy_: **'The Miracle That Exceeds the Limit'**."

**Emma:** "You'll find everything out soon…"


	9. The Miracle That Exceeds the Limit

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or anything designed by their original creator. I do own every character and card I created myself. (If I ever create those.)

A/N: It's been awfully long since I updated the previous chapter, so I apologize for that. And if you read this, please review so I know someone is reading this. Also, feel free to give some pointers. That being said, let's move on to this chapter.

* * *

><p>"As far as I know you only have one monster in your deck strong enough to defeat Neo-Parshath. And we both know that there's a small chance you can summon it. But I can't do anything else so it's your turn."<p>

Rick became horrified as he realized Emma was right. The only monster capable of destroying Neo-Parshath was Supreme Arcanite Magician with 3400 attack points. But summoning him required both a synchro monster and 'Miracle Synchro Fusion'. Noticing he hadn't any of those things in his hand or field he knew it was literally impossible to summon him.

_I knew from the beginning this duel would be tough, _Rick thought. _But this exceeds every expectation. She plays more mature and with less flaws than last time. Besides, it's almost impossible to surprise her since she can counter every move I make. And with Neo-Parshath combined to Cestus Of Dagla she can increase her Life Points while I keep on struggling to defend myself._

Emma on the other hand seemed to be thinking too.

_Is this the end for you, Rick? That wouldn't sound like you. You know you have to defeat me in order to find out your destiny. But I can't allow you to win unless we both try our hardest. So show me why you're the one who broke that spell._

"I can't afford to lose this duel," Rick stated. "So I will defeat you."

"Show me" Emma challenged.

* * *

><p><strong>Yu-Gi-Oh European Duel Academy<strong>

**Turn Nine: The Miracle That Exceeds the Limit**

* * *

><p>Rick and Emma were still standing in front of each other. So far, their duel was almost a replica from their first confrontation. Rick had the better start but Emma managed to make a comeback and summon 'Neo-Parshath, The Sky Paladin' combined with 'Miraculous Descent' and 'Cestus Of Dagla' along with three cards in her hand. Rick had a face-down 'Night's End Sorcerer' and three more cards in his hand.<p>

**LP Emma: 5500**

**LP Rick: 5000**

_Let me draw something good_ Rick hoped while he drew a card. Looking at the card, he couldn't help but smile.

"It seems I drawed a card capable of destroying Neo-Parshath" Rick stated.

"Impossible," Emma argued back. "There's no way you could've drawn such a card."

"But before I destroy your giant monster I flip summon Night's End Sorcerer."

A boy revealed himself sitting on a grave with some surrounding bats.

**Night's End Sorcerer: (Lv2, Spellcaster, ATK 1300 DEF 400)**

"And now I summon Magical Exemplar" Rick went on with his turn.

A grey-haired mage wearing a green robe appeared next to the lone boy.

**Magical Exemplar: (Lv4, Spellcaster, ATK 1700 DEF 1400)**

"I have to admit, they're good cards, but how will they defeat Neo-Parshath?" Emma asked. "Neither of them stands a chance alone and your synchros aren't strong enough too."

"In their current condition they can't do such things," Rick said. "But I have the perfect card to solve that problem. 'Magicians Unite'" Rick activated.

"Magicians Unite?" Emma asked. "Is that a new one? You never used it before."

The others agreed with Emma. No-one knew its effect or saw Rick use it before.

"This card can only be activated if I control two Spellcasters," Rick explained. "I select one of them, and its attack becomes 3000 for one turn. So I choose Magical Exemplar."

"3000!" Emma gasped. "That card is stronger than Neo-Parshath."

**Magical Exemplar: ATK 1700 = 3000**

"Magical Exemplar, destroy Neo-Parshath" Rick declared an attack.

The mage casted a spell with enough power to make Neo-Parshath disappear again.

**LP Emma: 5500 – 200 = 5300**

For the third time since the duel started, Emma lost her consciousness and received another flashback.

* * *

><p><em>Emma and the mysterious girl stared at each other without Emma knowing anything about her. She did know however she couldn't afford to lose. Something just didn't feel right. <em>

"_Would you like the first turn?" Emma asked._

"_Would you like me to take the first turn?" the girl taunted back. "Then so be it."_

_They both drew their first five cards, and the girl drew a sixth, then gave a malicious grin._

"_It seems I have a good hand," she said. "I activate Gem-Knight Fusion."_

_Suddenly a thunderstorm started to occur while Emma wondered about that card's effect._

"_I now fuse Gem-Knight Tourmaline and Gem-Knight Garnet to summon Gem-Knight Prism Aura" The girl announced._

_The monsters merged together and formed an armored warrior surrounded with a blue aura and lightning bolts._

_**Gem-Knight Prism Aura: (Lv7, Thunder ATK 2450 DEF 1400)**_

_At the same time 'Prism Aura' appeared, a lightning bolt struck down but froze and remained, much to Emma's surprise._

"_What's going on?" Emma asked astonished. _

"_This is to make sure you don't run away or something," The girl explained. "You see, I froze time itself."_

_Now Emma became shocked. "How is such a thing possible?"_

"_Let's just say that there's nothing to worry about as long as you win" The girl said laughing._

* * *

><p>"Emma, what's going on?" Rick asked. "You look so absent. Is everything okay?"<p>

"Don't worry about me," Emma replied coldly. "You should know that. Now continue your turn."

"Not yet," Rick replied. "Remember, the first time we dueled you were as cold as this, and I made a promise to make you enjoy your life again. And after your defeat, you told me why weren't able to laugh. Now I'll find out the reason behind this duel. I will defeat you, but not in any way. And I'll make sure you don't regret your mistakes anymore."

"Go ahead and continue your turn" Emma simply said.

"As you wish," Rick went on. "I tune Magical Exemplar and Night's End Sorcerer to synchro summon Explosive Magician in attack mode."

A white-dressed wizard appeared in front of Rick and caused some lightning, which shocked Emma.

_That lightning, these visions, are they real. Did that really happen? Rick, what makes you the chosen one?_ Emma wondered.

**Explosive Magician: (Lv6, Spellcaster, ATK 2500 DEF 1800)**

"Turn end" Rick simply said.

"Draw," Emma started her turn. "I summon Mudora."

A male warrior wearing a gold Egyptian mask and a dagger in his left hand appeared on the field.

**Mudora: (Lv4, Fairy, ATK 1500 DEF 1800)**

"And Mudora gains 200 attack points for each fairy in my graveyard" Emma explained.

**Mudora: ATK 1500 + 200 * 6 = 2700**

"2700 attack points," Rick gasped. "He's stronger than Explosive Magician."

"Mudora, attack Explosive Magician with 'Egyptian Rage'" Emma commanded.

The warrior took his dagger and simply stabbed the magician in his back.

**LP Rick: 5000 – 200 = 4800**

"And I set one card," Emma said as she placed the card in her disk. "Your turn."

_Emma is so much stronger than last time. Last time she completely relied on 'Neo-Parshath, The Sky Paladin', but this time her deck is way more balanced. If she was that hard to defeat last time, how will I ever win against her now?_ Rick worried.

"My turn" Rick called, then appeared shocked as he saw his hand.

_No way, I don't have a monster in my hand. At this rate, I might lose against her._ Rick realized. _No, I promised I would help her. And I can only help her if I win, so losing is no option._

"I set three cards and end my turn" Rick declared, much to everyone's surprise.

_I know this looks bad, but I can't give up. I have to make the best of it._

"Draw," Emma started her turn. "Mudora, direct attack."

The warrior took his sword again and this time stabbed Rick in his chest.

**LP Rick: 4800 – 2700 = 2100**

"And since you lost Life Points I can activate Sebek's Blessing. Now I gain Life Points equal to the amount you lost" Emma stated while her Life Points skyrocketed.

**LP Emma: 5300 + 2700 = 8000**

"No way," Ilian shouted. "Emma restored all her Life Points again."

"And if 'Mudora' attacks again, Emma wins" Thomas added.

"And then I end my turn" Emma said, thinking.

_I don't get it, Rick. Ever since the start of this duel you haven't taken control for more than one turn. Then how are you supposed to win? Are you expecting a miracle that makes you win this or do you know something I don't know? Whatever it is, show me why you were the one that defeated me. _Emma mused.

"My turn," Rick suddenly announced. "And I'll start by activating my face-down card: Hope For Escape. By paying 1000 Life Points I can draw one card for each 2000 Life Points between us."

**LP Rick: 2100 – 1000 = 1100**

"And since the difference is 6900 points, I can draw three cards," Rick said, drawing his cards. "Then, I activate Book Of Moon to put Mudora in defense position. And then I summon Breaker The Magical Warrior."

A red-armored warrior appeared on Rick's side of the field, raising his sword.

**Breaker The Magical Warrior: (Lv4, Spellcaster, ATK 1600 DEF 1000)**

**Breaker The Magical Warrior: ATK 1600 + 300 = 1900**

"Breaker, attack her face-down Mudora" Rick ordered.

The warrior swung his sword and sliced the defending warrior in two.

"And I set one card before I end my turn" Rick concluded his turn.

"Draw," Emma called for her turn. "I activate Mind Control. Now I can take control of 'Breaker' for the entire turn. He can't attack, but that won't be a problem" Emma said as she took control of Rick's only monster.

"Breaker, remove your counter to destroy Rick's left card" Emma ordered.

The warrior's sword lit up, and released his power to destroy the card. To everyone's shock, the revealed card was 'Mirror Force'.

"Impossible," Max exclaimed. "If Emma summons a monster with 1100 points she'll win.

"And assuming Emma plays a lot of beatsticks that won't be a problem" Ilian added.

"Now I summon Victoria in attack mode" Emma continued her turn.

A blond-haired woman wielding four dragons entered and raised her wand. At the same time, the dragons all roared together.

**Victoria: (Lv4, Fairy, ATK 1800 DEF 1500)**

"Victoria, end this duel" Emma declared firmly.

"Now it's over," Thomas noticed. "Without 'Mirror Force' Rick has no methods to stop that attack."

Victoria ordered her dragons to run forward and assault Rick. Nevertheless, they were stopped by an emerging wizard.

"Huh?" Emma reacted amazed. "Where did Explosive Magician come from?"

"I activate Call Of The Haunted," Rick stated. "Now I'm able to revive a monster from my graveyard, and I choose Explosive Magician."

"I didn't expect you to have another plan," Emma admitted. "Well, since I can't attack anymore I set one face-down card and end my turn."

As soon as Emma ended her turn, 'Breaker' returned to Rick's side of the field and raised his sword.

"My turn" Rick announced, looking at his drawn card.

_This card, it's too dangerous to play it now. I have to play safe for now._

"Explosive Magician, destroy Victoria with 'White Lightning Spell'."

The wizard created some lightning sparks and fired them to the opposing woman, but they disappeared in an emerging light.

"What's this," Rick exclaimed. "Where did that light come from?"

"I activate Photonize," Emma explained. "Your attack is negated and Victoria gains attack points equal to those of Explosive Magician."

Victoria absorbed the light and her dragons let out another roar to show her new power.

**Victoria: ATK 1800 + 2500 = 4300**

"4300 points!" Ilian gasped. "How can Rick win against such power?"

_I fight with everything I have, but Emma keeps countering every single move with so much ease. And now I'm facing another monster with over 4000 attack points. But I can't give up. If I surrender now, everything is in vain. Still… How will I ever win?_

"Is Rick giving up?" Thomas wondered. "Is this the end?"

"Rick!" Max suddenly shouted. "You can still win. Show Emma why you were able to defeat her the first time!"

At that moment, Rick's eyes widened and he looked at Emma again.

"Max is right," Rick stated. "I can't surrender now. I change 'Breaker' to defense mode and activate 'United We Stand'. And I equip it to Explosive Magician."

The two magicians shook each other's hand as a symbol of strength.

**Explosive Magician: ATK 2500 + 2 * 800 = 4100**

"That's all for now" Rick said with restored confidence.

"My turn. Draw" Emma announced.

_Rick, is this the reason you are the chosen one? Even so, how are you going to win this? Can you perform a miracle and pull out a victory against all odds?_

"Victoria, attack Explosive Magician" Emma ordered.

The dragons all ran to the lone magician and simply bit him until he died.

**LP Rick: 1100 – 200 = 900**

"And I set one face-down card. Turn end. And since my turn ends, the effect of 'Photonize' becomes invalid" Emma explained.

**Victoria: ATK 4300 – 2500 = 1800**

Rick stared at his deck when his turn came. With no cards left in his hand and a huge Life Point gap it seemed quite unlikely he still had a chance of winning. However, his eyes still showed the will to continue how hard it might be.

"Draw" Rick closed his eyes, then drew a card.

"Whatever that card is, Rick. Even you can't overcome this situation" Emma said.

"I move 'Breaker' to attack mode," Rick started his turn. "And now I activate the key card of my deck: Miracle Synchro Fusion."

"That doesn't exist!" Emma exclaimed, widening her eyes.

The others couldn't hide their impression either as they saw a portal open in the middle of the field.

"I remove 'Explosive Magician' and 'Night's End Sorcerer' from play to summon 'Supreme Arcanite Magician'" Rick said, raising the card triumphantly.

The two aforementioned wizards merged together and formed a new purple wizard with a giant wand and a hat.

**Supreme Arcanite Magician: (Lv10, Spellcaster, ATK 1400 DEF 2800)**

"I don't give up," Emma said. "Activate quick-play spell: 'Demise Of The Land'."

Instantly, the field changed into an apocalyptic desert without any sign of remaining life. Then, out of nowhere, a temple rose up from the ground only to appear behind Emma.

"What's this?" Rick asked. "Where did that come from?"

"'Demise Of The Land' enables me to activate a field spell whenever you special summon a monster," Emma explained. "And let's face it, I knew from the beginning you were going to summon this monster again. So behold 'The Sanctuary In The Sky'."

"Clever move," Rick smiled. "But don't forget that my monster still gets 2000 attack points."

**Supreme Arcanite Magician: ATK 1400 + 2 * 1000 = 3400**

But even against such a monster, Emma didn't lose the slightest sign of confidence. She stared at Rick's ultimate monster as if she knew she would destroy it.

"Attack me if you dare" Emma calmly responded.

"'Supreme Arcanite Magician', attack 'Victoria'" Rick ordered.

The wizard casted a spell and pulverized Emma's goddess with considerable ease. Her Life Points however were unaffected due to her Sanctuary.

"Breaker, attack Emma as well" Rick continued his assault.

The warrior took his sword and stabbed Emma with it. Although she still had a large Life Point advantage, she began to realize she might not win. At the same time, she also received another flashback.

**LP Emma: 8000 – 1600 = 6400**

* * *

><p><em>Emma and the mysterious girl were still dueling each other. While Emma managed to take an early lead by summoning 'The Splendid Venus' she had an uneasy feeling about this. The mysterious girl only managed to summon 'Gem-Knight Garnet' with 1900 attack points in defense mode. However, she seemed much more confident.<em>

"_My turn," The girl announced. "I summon 'Gem-Knight Sapphire' in attack mode."_

_A sapphire warrior with a shield made of water appeared on the girl's field._

_**Gem-Knight Sapphire: (Lv4, Aqua, ATK 0 DEF 2100)**_

"_What! That card has no attack points!" Emma exclaimed. "In other words, it can't do anything."_

"_Like the colors of the rainbow, my monsters aren't alone," The girl said. "I activate 'Particle Fusion' and fuse my monsters to summon 'Gem-Knight Citrine'."_

_The two monsters fused together and created a new warrior in a metal armor wearing a fire sword in his right hand._

_**Gem-Knight Citrine: (Lv7, Pyro, ATK 2200 DEF 1950)**_

"_That card won't help you," Emma said. "It's no match for my 'Venus'. Especially since its attack decreases to 1700."_

"_That doesn't matter," The girl replied, not showing the slightest fear. "I activate 'Particle Fusion's other effect. By removing it from play, I can increase 'Citrine's attack with that of 'Garnet', increasing it to 3600."_

_Emma now became surprised by such an effect. But she didn't panic. _It doesn't matter, _she thought. _If I activate 'Honest' 'Citrine' will destroy himself and then I'll win in my next turn.

"'_Gem-Knight Citrine', attack her 'Venus'" The girl declared an attack._

_Emma smiled as she looked at her 'Honest'. She took the card and showed it to the girl, but nothing happened. The attack still came through and damaged Emma's Life Points for the first time. As a result, she started to scream in pain._

_**LP Emma: 8000 – 800 = 7200**_

"_What's going on?" Emma asked, recovering from the last attack. _

"'_Gem-Knight Citrine's effect makes sure you can't activate any effects during battle" The girl explained with a grin._

"_I'm not talking about that effect. You freeze time and inflict real pain during a duel. Who are you and why did you challenge me?" Emma demanded._

"_What do you know about Ragnarok?" The girl asked, interested to see whether she knew what it meant._

* * *

><p>Emma opened her eyes again. She looked a bit pale, but was still able to stand on her two feet. However, at this rate, it could be possible that if the duel would last longer, she would faint. Max, who was still looking with Ilian and Thomas, couldn't stand it anymore.<p>

"Rick, Emma, you should stop this immediately!" Max shouted. "It's getting too dangerous."

Rick now saw too that Emma didn't look so good and started to put his hand on his Duel Disk as a sign of surrender, but was stopped by Emma.

"Put your hand away now!" Emma shouted reflexively. "If you cancel this duel now, everything was a waste of time. Besides, I don't want to win like this at all."

"I get it," Rick nodded. "All right, I'll end my turn here."

"Me too," Max agreed with their decision. "If this duel is so important, you can't let anything interfere."

"My turn," Emma continued their duel. "I activate 'Pot Of Avarice'. By returning three copies of 'Shining Angel', 'Avenging Knight Parshath' and 'Neo-Parshath, The Sky Paladin' from my graveyard to my deck, I can draw two cards."

She took the aforementioned cards, put them back in her deck, and took the top two cards. Seeing the cards, her eyes widened.

"I activate my face-down 'Celestial Transformation' to summon 'Neo-Parshath, The Sky Paladin'" Emma announced.

A mirage emerged out of nowhere and illuminated the entire field. After that, it took the shape of Emma's ace card before it replaced the mirage.

**Neo-Parshath, The Sky Paladin: (Lv7, Fairy, ATK 2300 DEF 2000)**

"No way!" Rick shouted amazed. "You still managed to summon him again even after I destroyed him twice."

"Yes, I did," Emma calmly replied. "But it comes with a price. 'Neo-Parshath's attack will be halved even with his effect. Also, at the end of this turn, he'll be destroyed automatically."

**Neo-Parshath, The Sky Paladin: ATK (2300 + 5500) / 2 = 3900 DEF 2000 + 5500 = 7500**

Rick became horrified when he realized 'Neo-Parshath' was able to finish this duel, so did everyone else. Only Emma wasn't sure she would win. She knew Rick still had a card left and he defeated her before.

"'Neo-Parshath', end this duel now. Attack 'Breaker The Magical Warrior'" Emma declared.

The giant fairy launched an enormous light beam to the red-armored warrior, but was stopped by the magical arrival of a mysterious book which blocked the attack and caused 'Neo-Parshath' to retreat.

"Sorry, Emma, but this duel isn't over yet. I activate 'Book Of Moon' to put your monster back in defense mode" Rick stated.

"Not bad, but thanks to 'Book Of Moon' 'Neo-Parshath' won't be destroyed and in my next turn, she'll have her full power," Emma countered. "But for now, I'll end my turn."

"Then we'll continue. My turn," Rick announced. "And it seems things are going my way. I activate the field spell 'Magical Citadel Of Endymion'."

Emma's temple faded away and in the middle of the field an entire magical village appeared.

"And since your monster has no bonus left; 'Supreme Arcanite Magician', attack 'Neo-Parshath'" Rick ordered.

The giant wizard casted a new spell powerful enough to erase 'Neo-Parshath' once more, leaving Emma's field wide open for another attack.

"If 'Breaker' attacks now, Emma might be in trouble," Ilian pointed out. "She has nothing left on her field. How will she ever fight back without any cards?"

"But if she receives another attack, she might faint as well," Thomas said. "I mean, she almost couldn't take that last attack. What will happen if she gets another assault?"

_This isn't good at all. I want Rick to win and find out what this all about, but not at the cost of Emma. But for some reason she keeps fighting. It's like she already knows what will come next… But what? _Max thought, concerned.

In the meantime, Rick was hesitating whether he'd attack or not. If he didn't attack, he'd never win. But if he did, what would happen to Emma? Still, he had to make a decision.

"'Breaker'… attack Emma directly" Rick ordered, still hesitating.

The warrior took his sword, and once again sliced Emma with it. For Emma, the attack was too much and she fell unconscious. Seeing this, everyone was shocked.

**LP Emma: 6400 – 1600 = 4800**

"Emma?" Max asked, scared. "Emma, can you hear me?"

At the same, Rick already ran to Emma and poked her twice, but she didn't even move. Whatever happened, one thing was sure: It wasn't anything good.

* * *

><p><strong>Max: <strong>"Emma, wake up!"

**Ilian: **"With Emma being unconscious, the duel might not end."

**Thomas: **"What is this? Why isn't Emma moving anymore?"

**Rick: **"If we knew that, this duel would be pointless."

**Thomas: **"That doesn't make any sense. How can someone faint because of a duel?"

**Rick: **"If we would tell everything, you wouldn't believe it."

**Ilian: **"Next time on _Yu-Gi-Oh European Duel Academy_: **'The Story of the Rainbow Crystal'**."

**Max: **"If everything just didn't happen this way…"


	10. The Story of the Rainbow Crystal

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or anything designed by their original creator. I do own every card and character I created myself. (If I ever create those.)

A/N: After more than 18 months of absence I am now finally updating again. My humblest apologies to everyone who has been waiting all that time. Moreover, please give me some advice on how to improve my writing. And finally: A happy 2014 to all of you.

* * *

><p>The warrior took his sword, and once again sliced Emma with it. For Emma, the attack was too much and she fell unconscious. Seeing this, everyone was shocked.<p>

"Emma?" Max asked, scared. "Emma, can you hear me?"

At the same, Rick already ran to Emma and poked her twice, but she didn't even move. She remained unconscious.

* * *

><p><em>Emma and the girl continued their duel. Emma just realized this wasn't a normal duel. Every time one player inflicts damage to the opponent, the damage will become real. Furthermore, the girl even managed to freeze the time to make sure the duel wouldn't be interrupted.<em>

"_So, what do you know about Ragnarok?" The girl asked._

"_Nothing," Emma answered, wondering what it was. "What is it?"_

"_The end of the world" The girl replied, shocking Emma extremely._

"_The end of the world? Are you serious?" Emma asked. A part of her was terrified after hearing this, but somehow, she didn't believe it._

"_After this duel, Fimbulvintr will commence," The girl declared confident. "From that point on, there will be three more years before the world will be destroyed."_

_Now Emma became completely horrified. Whatever she didn't believe yet, came true. The world would disappear._

"_But… that doesn't make sense," Emma replied, still in shock. "Why do you tell this to me?"_

"_Because you have an important role in this plan. In order to start this, I have to defeat you in a duel" The girl explained._

"_Why me? Why not just anybody else?" Emma now became a bit confused as well. _

"_That's not important now," The girl ignored her. "But it's part of a prophecy. In order to unleash Ragnarok, I have to obtain a special deck and two relics."_

"_That deck…" Emma stammered. "You need my deck, don't you?"_

"_No, I need the strongest deck in the world. A deck with unrivaled powers that is so strong that it can destroy the world by itself."_

"_But such a deck doesn't even exist. Where do you think you'll find such powers?" Emma asked._

"_There is one deck in the entire world with those legendary power," The girl told. "But unfortunately, it doesn't exist yet."_

"_What!" Emma exclaimed. "Then when will it be made?"_

"_Only you can tell that…" The girl started. _

* * *

><p><strong>Yu-Gi-Oh European Duel Academy<strong>

**Turn Ten: The Story of the Rainbow Crystal**

* * *

><p>In front of Loki Mansion, Rick and Emma where having a serious duel. In fact, the duel was more intense than anyone could have imagined. Every time Rick was able to damage Emma's Life Points, she became pale. Furthermore, the last attack was too much for Emma to handle and she fainted. Still, she had a fair amount of Life Points left compared to Rick.<p>

**LP Rick: 900**

**LP Emma: 4800**

On the other hand, Rick managed to summon 'Supreme Arcanite Magician' while Emma had nothing left to defend herself with. But if she did not awake soon, that would hardly matter.

"Emma, wake up" Rick ordered.

"I'm getting the nurse," Thomas stated. "We have to do something."

"No, we can't. What are we supposed to tell? That she fainted during a duel?" Rick replied.

"I agree with Rick," Ilian said. "People don't fall unconscious during a duel without reason."

"Maybe she forgot breakfast this morning and she just needs to eat something" Thomas suggested.

"No," Max replied. "You can't cancel this duel. For as long as I can remember, Emma has never taken a duel more serious than today. She will wake up and fight back."

"_Only I can tell that? Can't you just explain it?" Emma asked confused._

* * *

><p>"<em>That deck will reveal itself after your first defeat after you lost to me" The girl revealed.<em>

"_If I lose," Emma argued back. "And I don't plan on losing."_

_The girl smiled at that comment. "Should you win this duel by a miracle then nothing happens and you're free to go. But should you lose to me and lose once again, then the legendary deck will appear where you were defeated."_

"_And what about those relics? You said you need two special relics" Emma became more curious. _

"_Even if I obtained that deck, I wouldn't be able to control it without those relics. Fortunately, I already have one of them." She then revealed a necklace around her neck with a rainbow-colored crystal. _

"_Is that one of those relics?" Emma asked amazed. Apparently she was paralyzed by the aura coming from the crystal._

"_This is the Rainbow Crystal," The girl said. "It's power allows me to freeze time, take control of other humans and even travel through dimensions."_

_Hearing those things, Emma became frightened. She realized the girl was responsible for freezing the time, but she also knew that winning was more important than she thought at first. And more importantly, what was that 'legendary deck'…_

* * *

><p>At that moment, Emma slowly opened her eyes again. She was still lying on the ground, but at least she was fine. Surprisingly enough, she quickly stood up again and wanted to continue her duel with Rick.<p>

"Emma, we should stop this right now," Rick said. "You're too hurt to continue."

"We have to," Emma responded. "We're too close to end this duel right now."

"But what if something happens? What if you don't wake up after the next attack?" Rick asked, slightly worried.

"I'll take that risk" Emma confidently answered.

Rick and Emma went back to their dueling spots while Thomas, Max and Ilian went back to the sidelines to further watch this amazing duel.

"I assume it's my turn" Emma said.

"Go ahead" Rick nodded in response.

In the meantime, Thomas became more interested in the reason of this duel. There was something, but he didn't know what. Not yet, at least.

_This is weird,_ Thomas thought. _Emma used to be an anti-Lokinian, but she became friends with these guys. And why would she duel the only person who defeated her at this academy while claiming she doesn't want revenge. But overall, how can Emma faint after an attack? I mean, Rick has taken more hits than her, and he still stands straight. How can you explain that? _

"Draw," Emma called for her turn. "I set one card and end my turn."

_Unfortunately this card is nothing but a bluff. If Rick sees through it this duel is over. And if not I still don't have a lot of options. I can only hope for the best._

"My turn," Rick announced. "And this might be the last turn."

_You already saw through it, didn't you? _Emma thought. _All right, then do it._

"First, I summon 'Alchemist Of Black Spells' in attack mode" Rick said.

A mysterious wizard appeared on the field between 'Breaker' and 'Supreme Arcanite Magician'.

**Alchemist Of Black Spells: (Lv4, Spellcaster, ATK 1200 DEF 1800)**

"And I'll turn him into defense mode to give 'Supreme Arcanite Magician' another spell counter," Rick explained as the newly summoned wizard kneeled down. "And that means he gets another 1000 attack points."

**Supreme Arcanite Magician: ATK 3400 + 1000 = 4400**

"And I have one card left. I activate my final copy of 'Spell Power Grasp' to increase the attack of 'Supreme Arcanite Magician' with another 1000 points" Rick declared.

**Supreme Arcanite Magician: 4400 + 1000 = 5400**

"5400!" Max exclaimed. "That's more than enough to end this duel."

"But that is also strong enough to put Emma in a critical situation," Ilian noticed. "Seeing she couldn't handle a monster with less than 2000 attack points without fainting, there's no way she can survive such an attack."

Emma on the contrary didn't display the slightest hint of fear. She already accepted her loss and simply closed her eyes, waiting for the final attack that would decide this duel.

"'Supreme Arcanite Magician', end this duel. 'Supreme Arcanite Magic'" Rick declared the final attack.

The purple wizard waved his wand one more time and fired a spell at Emma who simply smiled and received the last attack.

**LP Emma: 4800 – 5400 = 0**

After the smoke cleared, Emma laid back on the ground, blown away by that attack. This time however, she wasn't unconscious. She finally understood everything that happened and how it happened.

Rick, Max, Ilian and Thomas in the meantime all went to Emma and helped her up again, relieved that she didn't faint again. Still, they didn't fully understood what happened.

"Emma, are you okay?" Max asked, a bit concerned about her.

"I'm fine now," She gently smiled back. "It's been a long time since I felt this good in fact."

"What happened during our duel?" Rick asked. "Every time you lost some Life Points you became pale. What was wrong?"

"I think it's time to explain you the whole story," Emma said with a stern face. "You need to hear this in order to understand everything."

"What story?" Thomas interrupted her. "What's going on?"

"You wouldn't believe it if I told it to you," Emma simply replied. "I can feel your distrust towards me, but you judged me without knowing me. Therefore you wouldn't fully understand it."

"Then explain it to me," Thomas responded back. "Show me I was wrong about you."

"If that's what you want," Emma said, closing her eyes. "Then follow me inside. I'll tell you the entire story there."

* * *

><p>Everyone followed Emma to Loki Mansion. Inside, they all gathered around a great wooden table. Since there was no-one else around, Emma could speak without anyone noticing it.<p>

"Everything began when a girl appeared in front of my house and challenges me to a duel," Emma started her story. "The weird thing however is that the time was frozen during that duel."

"Frozen time?" Ilian became confused. "You mean the time actually stood still?"

"For some reason it felt like I was in another dimension," Emma clarified. "While the rest of the world stood still, that girl and I had a duel."

"Can you describe how that girl looked like?" Rick asked.

"She had long blonde hair, blue eyes and she wore quite casual clothes. In fact, she didn't look suspicious at all" Emma continued.

"And what was the name of that girl?" Thomas asked, suspicious about her story.

"She… never told me her name," Emma sighed. "She never mentioned it during our duel."

Hearing that, Thomas became slightly amazed. Although he still had his doubts about whether Emma spoke the truth or not, he became more interested in her story. Therefore, he decided to continue listening.

"She also asked me what I knew about something called Ragnarok," Emma further told her story. "Does anyone of you know something about it or have you at least heard about it?"

Rick, Max and Ilian all three shook their heads to indicate they never heard about it. Thomas on the other hand gave a slight nod to Emma, surprising everyone.

"It's the end of the world according to Nordic mythology," Thomas revealed. "After a period of three years named Fimbulwinter, Ragnarok will occur."

"And has Fimbulwinter already begun?" Ilian asked slightly insecure.

"To start it she had to defeat me," Emma said. "And since that duel was three years ago Ragnarok is coming soon."

"You mean the world will be destroyed in less than a year?" Max exclaimed astonished. "And isn't there some way to stop it?"

"I don't know whether there is a way to stop it, but I believe it's possible," Emma said hopefully. "I remember that there are two persons capable of stopping this."

"Then who are they?" Thomas asked impatiently. "If we can find them they can try to stop everything."

"Well, the first one is Rick" Emma revealed, much to the amazement of Thomas, Ilian and Max.

"How do you know that?" Thomas asked confused. "I mean, how is he supposed to do that?"

"According to a prophecy told by that girl, there are two persons with enough power to stop her," Emma tried to explain. "The first person who defeated me since my loss against that girl was one of those two."

"Wait a minute," Ilian interrupted them. "Are you saying Ragnarok is the result of a duel and that a duel is the solution to everything?"

The others looked at Ilian and realized he had a point. Normally, if you think about the end of the world, people imagine earthquakes, tidal waves, even aliens, but not a simple duel.

"But that makes absolutely no sense," Rick added. "I mean, Thomas defeated me in a duel. How can I stop her if I'm not the strongest?"

"No-one said the strongest duelists would be capable of doing this," Emma replied. "In fact, I don't know anyone is able to do it."

"So, who is the second duelist who can stop everything?" Max suddenly asked.

Now everyone looked at Max, who had a good point as well. Emma on the other hand quietly shook her head.

"I have no idea," Emma sighed. "He is supposed to be an opposite to that girl, but that's all I know."

"Still, it doesn't really matter who he is," Thomas stated. "As long as we don't find that girl, we can't do anything but wait."

"For some reason I don't think finding that girl is the biggest problem" Rick said immediately.

The others now looked at Rick as if he became insane. Rick just continued explaining.

"Think of it, that girl was twelve when she dueled Emma," He said. "Can you imagine a twelve year old girl trying to destroy the world?"

Max, Ilian and Thomas understood Rick's way of thinking. Emma however wasn't completely convinced.

"Normally I would say no, but that wasn't a normal girl," Emma argued. "She was the most horrifying person I've ever met. I mean, as I said before, she was able to freeze time."

"How was she able to stop the time?" Ilian asked interested.

"She had a necklace with a colorful crystal in it," Emma told. "She called it the 'Rainbow Crystal'. According to her that was the source of her power."

"But if she already has such power, why didn't she destroy the world already?" Thomas asked, still not understanding everything. "Why does she have to wait three years?"

"Perhaps she had to think of a way to destroy it," Rick suggested. "Demolishing the entire world takes at least three years if you have to do it on yourself."

"The only reason she didn't obliterate the planet by now is because she isn't ready yet" Emma replied.

Rick, Max, Ilian and Thomas now all became shocked. They looked at Emma as if she said something really bad would happen- which in fact, was true.

"She isn't ready yet?" Ilian repeated. "Does she need even more power or what?

"She mentioned something about two relics," Emma explained. "And she already had one of those during our first duel."

"You mean that Rainbow Crystal?" Thomas realized.

"Exactly," Emma replied. "As far as I can imagine, the power of that crystal is almost limitless."

Emma shivered as she thought about what happened because of that crystal. Now she was confronted with her past, she finally understood how terrible she behaved herself. She almost began crying until Max gave her a hug and comforted her.

"It's okay," He said with a soft voice. "I knew it wasn't your fault. We'll make sure everything will be fine."

"Max is right," Rick said. "You were cursed because of that crystal. There's nothing to blame yourself for. Besides, if we find that girl we'll make sure she regrets every single thing she did."

Everyone was slightly surprised by Rick's sudden anger, yet they all understood why he said it that way.

"I still don't get it," Ilian confessed to Emma. "Why was it necessary for her to duel you?"

"I don't have the slightest idea," Emma answered. "I think I wasn't necessary at all."

"Perhaps Emma was a bait to find the persons capable of stopping that girl" Thomas suggested.

"But even if that is true, the second one is still unknown to us" Rick argued.

"And he's also unknown to that girl," Ilian understood. "So if we can find him and explain everything to him he might convince him to help us."

"But how will we ever find him?" Emma asked. "We're on an island in the middle of nowhere."

"Well, how did that girl find you?" Rick asked interested. "If we can use the same method, it might be possible to find him."

"I don't believe that will work," Emma said disappointed. "That girl probably used that crystal to find me. And even if she didn't, she still knew my name. We don't know anything about either one of them."

At that same time, a new thought occurred to Rick's mind. "You mentioned there were two relics, and that girl already has one, but what's the second relic?"

Emma once again shook her head. "I have no idea," She admitted. "But there's something else even more powerful. She also told me about a legendary deck that is supposed to be the strongest deck in the world."

Hearing the words 'the strongest deck in the world' everyone's eyes widened even more.

"Did you really say that girl is looking for the strongest deck in existence?" Ilian asked astonished. "But there is no deck like that."

"That's exactly what I said then," Emma replied. "But she told me there is one deck in the entire world so powerful."

"But that deck must be worth millions," Thomas realized. "And whoever that deck has, won't sell it."

"That isn't the problem," Emma simply responded. "At that time, that deck didn't exist yet. That deck would appear if my curse was broken at the place I was defeated."

At that moment, realization drove near on everyone. They all understood that that deck already became real. Furthermore, that deck was present on the same island they were.

"So you're saying that everyone can get access to that deck?" Rick asked shocked. "If that's the case, we should find that deck as quick as possible."

"We still have time," Emma told them. "No-one can control that deck without those two relics."

"Also, I don't think we would find it at all," Thomas said. "Rick defeated Emma on the Duel Field. And after that duel there were countless fights there, but there was no sign of a deck."

"Does that mean someone has that deck already?" Max asked.

"It must be someone on this island" Ilian said.

"That means another student currently possesses the most powerful deck in existence" Rick realized.

"Then we must find that one before that girl finds out," Thomas concluded. "If she can get her hands on it we're in serious trouble."

"Do you think we should go look around and try to find it?" Ilian asked.

"No, the island is too big to explore at once," Emma answered. "Besides, we'll notice it if someone uses that deck."

"I suggest we'll discuss this another time," Thomas said, checking his watch. "But I'll have to go. I have some things I have to do."

"Well, then I'll leave as well," Emma stated. "I'll come visit you in a few days."

With that said, Emma and Thomas both left Loki Mansion and went their own way. They both had something to think about however. Emma was still wondering about who that girl was and why she had to be involved in it. Thomas on the other hand was intrigued by Emma's appearance.

_A few weeks ago she had an extremely arrogant character towards everyone. But now she became friends with some Lokinians. And then she told that weird story about a girl trying to take over the world. She has an interesting personality. _He thought.

_I made the decision to tell them about my past and about the possible end of the world. But can I trust them enough not to tell it to other people? But more important: Do they actually believe me? _Emma thought.

* * *

><p>That night a masked man appeared in front of Schroeder Corp. Besides his mask he wore dark clothes matching the color of his mask. On his left arm he carried a Duel Disk, implying he was planning to duel someone. He walked inside the building and went to the director's office to look for Siegfried. He opened the door of his office and saw a man with long pink hair looking outside the window.<p>

"Good evening, mister Von Schroeder" The man tried to sound politely, yet with a sinister tone.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Siegfried asked back, slightly amazed by his appearance.

"You have something I want, and you can better give it to me already" He replied with an ominous voice.

* * *

><p><strong>Rick: <strong>"This can't be serious!"

**Ilian: **"What's the problem?"

**Rick: **"We don't appear in the next chapter of this fanfic."

**Max: **"Why not? What could be so important that we won't appear?"

**Rick: **"Apparently Siegfried Von Schroeder will duel some masked guy."

**Ilian: **"They also say it won't be a normal duel."

**Max: **"Why is everything always so vague? Can't they just cut to the point?"

**Ilian: **"Next time on _Yu-Gi-Oh European Duel Academy_: **'The Rainbow Road of the Gem-Knights'**."

**Max: **"I think that answers my questions."


	11. The Rainbow Road of the Gem-Knights

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or anything designed by their original creator. I do own every character and card I've created. (If I ever create those.)

A/N: 1) Once again it's been much longer than I've wanted myself to update. I'm still trying to increase the tempo of my writing though. Also, please review, and if possible, tell me how I can improve my writing.

2) The World Cup Football will start in less than a month. It will be tough to combine with my exams, but I'll still try to watch as many games as possible. Anyway, please give me your opinion on who you think will win or who you want to win.

* * *

><p>Siegfried Von Schroeder stood in his office and stared to the masked man who entered his office. He had no idea who the person in front of him was or why he was here in the first place. He did know he couldn't let him walk in without knowing who he was.<p>

"And what should I have that is so valuable that you can have it?" Siegfried asked interested.

"I've heard some rumors about a priceless deck that is supposed to be the strongest one in the world," The man replied. "I also know you have it, so if you can just hand it over…"

"Or else what?" Siegfried smiled. "You don't have any weapons, I see, and if I call the security they can arrest you within two minutes. Do you really think I'll let you go away with it?"

Now the man smiled. "So you do have it. Then I can also tell you I'm not afraid of your pathetic threats. In fact, I won't leave without that deck."

"That does it," Siegfried became mad at his arrogant behavior. He took a remote control and pressed an alarm button. "The security will be here in two minutes" He said.

"Two minutes? That's plenty of time for me" The man told Siegfried.

The next moment he took a necklace from his jacket and revealed it to Siegfried. The crystal attached to the necklace began to glow and the next moment they were at another place. Seeing the Duel Field Siegfried immediately realized they were transported to the Duel Field inside this building.

"What do you think? Isn't this the perfect place for a little duel?" The man asked.

"And what if I refuse your challenge?" Siegfried asked back. "You can't force me to duel."

"As much as I wanted to just take that deck and go away, I can only obtain it by defeating the respective owner in a duel," The man explained. "But you can't go anywhere right now."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Siegfried asked amazed.

"Look outside," The man answered with a grin. "Believe it or not, but I froze the time."

Astonished by his statement, Siegfried looked outside. To his own amazement, he saw the man was right. Normally, the cars on the street would drive all the time, but now they all stood still. Also, the hands on his watch didn't move anymore.

"So shall we begin our little duel?" The man now laughed. "If you win, I'll leave you alone and everything will be the way it was."

Siegfried thought for a minute, hoping to find an answer. Unfortunately for him, he realized there was nothing he could do but accept his challenge.

"All right then," He said, knowing he didn't had much choice. "But you'll regret this challenge."

The man didn't reply and turned his Duel Disk on. Siegfried meanwhile inserted his deck in his Duel Disk and went to his place. Both duelists then gave each other one last look before they shouted a single word. One that would have no meaning for most people, but meant everything for a duelist.

"DUEL"

* * *

><p><strong>Yu-Gi-Oh European Duel Academy<strong>

**Turn Eleven: The Rainbow Road of the Gem-Knights**

* * *

><p>Inside Schroeder Corp Siegfried just started a battle against an unknown masked man. Both players stared at each other, waiting for a sign of their opponent.<p>

"I'll start this duel," the man firmly declared. He then drew a sixth card and added it to his hand. "I set one monster and one face-down card. That will do it for now."

Two holograms representing the two unknown cards appeared on the field behind each other.

"Not a bad start, but it won't be enough to win this," Siegfried commented as he started his turn. "I summon Valkyrie Dritte in attack mode."

A beautiful maiden with red hair appeared on Siegfried's side of the field. She sat on a horse and pointed her sword towards the face-down monster.

**Valkyrie Dritte: (Lv4, Fairy, ATK 1000 DEF 1600)**

"I'm very offended," the man said in a mocking tone. "You were going to show me a lesson and now you summon such a small fry."

"She may not be the strongest, but she's all I need now. Valkyrie Dritte, attack with 'Galloping Dash'" Siegfried ordered.

The maiden ordered her horse to ride and used her sword to slice her opponent when passing by. Unfortunately, her attack didn't affect her adversary at all.

**LP Siegfried: 8000 – 1000 = 7000**

"I see you've met my Gem-Turtle," the man said in response to the failed attack. "His defense is too tough to be broken with such a weak attempt."

A giant turtle appeared and showed his head from under his shell. His shell was made of pure jade and covered his entire body.

**Gem-Turtle: (Lv4, Rock, ATK 0 DEF 2000)**

"But the best part has yet to come, because when Gem-Turtle is flipped face-up, I can add 'Gem-Knight Fusion' to my hand" the man said, adding the aforementioned card to his hand.

"Now I set one card and conclude my turn" Siegfried simply announced.

"My turn," the man declared immediately. "And I'll start with activating my key card: 'Gem-Knight Fusion'. Now I can fuse two monsters to summon a new fusion monster. So I'll fuse 'Gem-Turtle' and 'Gem-Knight Obsidian' to summon 'Gem-Knight Zirconia'."

Suddenly, an array of crystals emerged out of nowhere and made circles all over the field. Then a metal-like monster and the turtle on the masked man's field disappeared along with the crystals and formed a new monster. One made of zirconia but looked like a steel warrior. Although he didn't have any weapons, his fists seemed strong enough to take on any enemy.

**Gem-Knight Zirconia: (Lv8, Rock, ATK 2900 DEF 2500)**

"Impressed?" the man taunted Siegfried. "You will be soon enough. Gem-Knight Zirconia, destroy his tiny maiden."

The giant warrior lifted his right fist and aimed towards the red-haired maiden, but was intercepted by an angel with giant wings. This led to self-destruction for the massive monster.

**LP ?: 8000 – 1000 = 7000**

"Are you impressed?" Siegfried replied calmly. "'Honest' increases the attack of my monster with the attack of your monster. So my Valkyrie Dritte is unharmed."

**Valkyrie Dritte: ATK 1000 + 2900 = 3900**

"I'm not done yet," the man continued his turn. "I summon Gem-Knight Tourmaline in attack mode before I end my turn."

A new monster, made out of a yellow mineral, made his entrance to the field. However, since he knew he wouldn't have to fight anymore this turn, he simply stood still.

**Gem-Knight Tourmaline: (Lv4, Thunder, ATK 1600 DEF 1800)**

"I believe it's my turn," Siegfried said while he drew a card. "Now I summon 'Dimensional Alchemist' in attack mode."

A sort of warrior appeared on Siegfried's side of the field. He held a dark orb in his hands which could be the source of his powers.

**Dimensional Alchemist: (Lv4, Fairy, ATK 1300 DEF 200)**

"And unlike what you may think, my monster is quite impressive. You see, every turn, my alchemist enables me to remove the top card of my deck to increase his attack points with 500," Siegfried explained. "So I now remove one card to activate his ability" He declared.

Siegfried took the top card of his deck and put it away. At that time, the orb of his monster started to glow, indicating the power boost.

**Dimensional Alchemist: ATK 1300 + 500 = 1800**

"That's not all," Siegfried continued his explanation. "Since the card I removed from play was a monster, my 'Valkyrie Dritte' also gains an attack boost of 100 points."

**Valkyrie Dritte: ATK 1000 + 100 = 1100**

"Dimensional Alchemist, unleash your fury upon your foe and destroy his 'Gem-Knight Tourmaline'" Siegfried announced his attack.

The warrior used his black orb to strike his stone opponent, but before the attack succeeded, his target vanished and was replaced by 'Gem-Knight Zirconia'.

"Impossible!" Siegfried exclaimed. "Where did he come from?"

"Mister Von Schroeder, you have a lot to learn," the unknown man taunted him again. "I activated the trap card 'Gem-Enhancement', which allowed me to tribute a Gem-Knight in order to revive another one."

"Very well then," Siegfried simply responded. "I end my turn now."

When Siegfried announced the end of his turn, the orb of his alchemist stopped glowing, and his attack points dropped back to their original stats.

**Dimensional Alchemist: ATK 1800 – 500 = 1300**

"As you wish. Then I'll start my turn right now," the man replied while drawing a new card. "And I'll do so by summoning 'Gem Armadillo' in attack mode."

A brown armadillo emerged on the unknown man's side of the field. Though he was made out of stone, he almost looked bionic. His razor-sharp claws and his eyes made him appear as if he was an actual robot.

**Gem Armadillo: (Rock, Lv4, ATK 1700 DEF 500)**

Then, suddenly the armadillo started to dig into the ground. His claws dug so fast he had disappeared in a blink. A few moments later, he reappeared with a stone the size of his claws. The stone had a yellow-like color and was almost as hard as a diamond. Then, the stone vanished and turned into a new card.

"I see you've noticed my armadillo's special ability," the man clarified. "You see, when 'Gem Armadillo' is normal summoned, I can add one Gem-Knight from my deck to hand, and I chose my wonderful 'Gem-Knight Alexandrite'."

The man then showed Siegfried the card he just added to his hand. The card showed an old-fashioned knight, wearing an armor made out of alexandrite, the mineral he was named after.

"But before you'll have to worry about this card, I have other things planned for you. Gem Armadillo, tear his alchemist into pieces" the man said, declaring an attack.

The armadillo sharpened his claws, and ran brutally to the warrior on the opposing side of the field. He was halted however by a man wearing a green cloak and holding a wooden stick in his right hand.

"I believe your monster was no match for 'Wotan's Judgment'," Siegfried chuckled his head. "You see, whenever one of my opponent's monsters declares an attack, I can draw one card and then I put one spell card in my hand back in my deck. And it also ends the battle phase immediately."

Once the armadillo returned to where he belonged, Siegfried calmly drew a fresh card. After that, he showed his opponent a card named 'Nibelung's Ring' before he returned that specific card back to his deck and shuffled it.

"'Nibelung's Ring'?" the man asked, surprised by the card he didn't recognize.

"Haven't you learned that patience is a virtue?" Siegfried smiled, knowing he had the upper hand right now. "You'll find out what this card can do when the time is there."

The man did nothing but growling in response. "Very well then. I'll end my turn right now" he said, clearly unsatisfied.

"And so mine begins," Siegfried announced the beginning of his turn. "First, I'll activate the effect of 'Dimensional Alchemist' again. Therefore, by removing another card from play, my monster gets an attack boost of 500 points."

Once again, Siegfried took a card, and threw it right in the Alchemist's orb. As a result, the orb's color changed from black to gold and the attack points increased to 1800.

**Dimensional Alchemist: ATK 1300 + 500 = 1800**

"Now, Dimensional Alchemist, attack that armadillo with 'Dimensional Orb'" Siegfried announced his attack.

The warrior used the powers of his boosted orb to launch an assault on the opposing animal. With one well aimed strike he destroyed the stone armadillo.

**LP ?: 7000 – 100 = 6900**

"And before I'll end my turn I'll set one more card" Siegfried said.

One more hologram appeared on Siegfried's back row. The face-down card filled the field and gave it some threatening thoughts.

Then, 'Dimensional Alchemist's' power decreased again to its original stats, 1300 to be exact. The color of his orb also changed back to black.

"My move," the man spoke. He drew a card, making the total cards in his hand five. "I'll start by summoning 'Gem-Knight Sanyx' to the field."

A new monster entered the unknown man's field. This one was made out of a mineral named 'sardonyx'. He was brown and orange and he held a whip in his hands with the same color and made out of the same mineral as himself.

**Gem-Knight Sanyx: (Lv4, Pyro, ATK 1800 DEF 900)**

"And since my monsters are stronger than yours, I think I'll attack," He said in an almost mocking tone. "Gem-Knight Sanyx, dispatch his tiny maiden."

The stone warrior swung his whip three times around, thenbrutally assaulted the red-haired valkyrie. Both the girl and her horse couldn't withstand the onslaught and were defeated merciless.

**LP Siegfried: 7000 – 700 = 6300**

"And I'm not done yet. Gem-Knight Zirconia, destroy his annoying alchemist" He ordered his attack.

The steel warrior raised his right fist and punched Siegfried's warrior with such power even his orb shattered in pieces, leaving Siegfried with a completely empty field.

**LP Siegfried: 6300 – 1600 = 4700**

Suddenly, a card appeared from inside the broken orb and went straight into Siegfried's hand.

"I guess my alchemist didn't die for nothing," Siegfried smiled. "When 'Dimensional Alchemist' is destroyed, I can retrieve one monster that is removed from play and add it to my hand."

"And do you think that card can help you?" the man asked skeptically. "Because if it can, I'd love to see that. But for now, I end my turn."

"Before I begin my next turn I want you to explain to me why you want that deck so much" Siegfried said, slightly surprising his opponent.

Surprisingly enough, the man didn't have any problems explaining everything to Siegfried. "If that's what you want, I'll explain it to you. After all, since this is your place, it's only fair if I tell you why I'm here."

The man then started his story: "I want to destroy the world, whether you believe it or not."

Siegfried was shocked by his bold statement. "But that's ridiculous. Do you honestly think you can do that? And why are you here then?"

"Because you have something I need," the man replied. "As I said before, I need that deck. That deck holds cards that are as powerful as the Phantom Gods. But since they don't exist anymore, I decided to take this cards instead."

"Now you lost it completely," Siegfried responded astonished. "Destroying the world is one thing, but to accomplish that with a deck takes the cake. How were you planning to do that?"

"Haven't you ever wondered why that deck is put safely in a vault? It's because it's too dangerous for mankind to use. Just like the Phantom Gods, they were never meant to be made. But unfortunately you'll fail to protect that deck from me."

"But no-one is supposed to know about this deck," Siegfried replied. "How did you find out?"

"So you admit you know about the power of those cards?" the man asked. He knew he had Siegfried exactly where he wanted him. After all, they both knew everything about this legendary deck.

"I'll admit, I do know about the power of these cards," Siegfried sighed. "I also know how they were made at Industrial Illusions by mistake. But that doesn't explain how you know about it."

"Because they were my idea" the man stated, stunning Siegfried.

"Why would you think of a deck that holds such destructive powers capable of destroying everything in the world?" Siegfried demanded. His face portrayed a mix of anger and disbelief, yet he tried to stay as calm as possible. He knew that becoming outrageous wouldn't do any good in this situation.

"At first, it wasn't my intention to create something like this, but something went completely wrong and before we knew, the building was destroyed," the man told. "After that, Pegasus himself took the deck and safely put it away, making sure it would never be used again."

Siegfried seemed somewhat confused by the immensely weird story the man told him, yet there was something that made him believe it. However, even then, he still wasn't completely convinced.

"If that's true, then how did you find out Pegasus gave the cards to me so I could hide them?" Siegfried asked, feeling something wasn't explained yet. "Because I don't think he'd tell anyone else he hid it here, and I didn't either."

"I didn't know who had the cards, I only know where they are" the man clarified to Siegfried.

Now Siegfried completely lost it. "You only knew where that deck is but not who has it? How is that possible?"

The man didn't respond, instead he then showed him the fascinating jewel which enabled him to freeze the time and transport him to this area. "This crystal has a strong connection with the legendary deck you're keeping here."

"What kind of connection?" Siegfried asked. How longer this conversation went, how more confusing and weird this all looked to him.

"This is the 'Rainbow Crystal'," He said, showing him the colorful jewel. "It had the power to stop time, and it can work as a compass to find the deck you're hiding here. But mostly, it's the source of my power and one of the instruments I'll use to destroy the world."

"You also need that deck, I understand. And then what? You're going to outduel everyone in the world?" Siegfried commented, slightly cynical, but mostly irritated by his opponent.

"Almost," he man chuckled. "Are you by any chance familiar with the occurrence known as 'Ragnarok'?" he suddenly changed the topic of their conversation.

Siegfried thought for a minute. He knew that Ragnarok was an occurrence in Norse mythology, known as the battle of gods, which would ultimately result in a tragedy with countless victims. In fact, his deck, the 'Valkyrie deck' that he used 20 years ago to become European champion of Duel Monsters, was composed of creatures related to that incident. The valkyries were female figures who decided who would die in battle and took the fallen warriors to the Valhalla, the afterlife.

Realizing all of those things, his face almost became completely pale. When he said he wanted to destroy the world, he didn't mean to simply take it over. He actually meant to destroy it, and to do that, he wants to accelerate the end of the world, also known as Ragnarok.

"Seeing the look on your face, I'm sure you've heard about it," the man supposed, looking at Siegfried's shocked expression. "Unfortunately for you, you can't defeat me in this duel and therefore you won't be able to prevent this."

"I think I can stop you," Siegfried spoke. "You said you have to defeat me in a duel first, but you won't beat me, which means you'll never lay your hands on that deck."

Siegfried then actively drew a card, indicating the start of his turn, which was postponed for a long time because of their conversation. Looking at the card, he knew he had it all under control.

"I have a feeling your demise is about to begin," Siegfried spoke confident. "Because I've just drawn the strongest card in my deck. Behold, 'Ride of the Valkyries'."

He raised the card triumphantly before sliding it in his Duel Disk. Upon activation, three maidens appeared from the sky, every single one riding on a white horse. One of them had pink hair, while the other two had blue hair. They all wore the same outfit consisting of an armor protecting their breasts, a blue skirt and a pair of blue boots. Each of them also carried a giant shield in their left hand and a sword in their right hand.

"May I introduce you to my beautiful maidens, my two 'Valkyries Erste' and my 'Valkyrie Zwei'," Siegfried said as his monsters landed on the field. "But don't be fooled by their appearance. They both possess an extremely powerful ability."

**Valkyrie Erste: (Lv6, Fairy, ATK 1600 DEF 1800)**

**Valkyrie Erste: (Lv6, Fairy, ATK 1600 DEF 1800)**

**Valkyrie Zwei: (Lv5, Fairy, ATK 1600 DEF 1600)**

The following moment, small particles of light gathered around 'Gem-Knight Zirconia', causing him to vanish into nowhere. Next, 'Gem-Knight Zirconia' and 'Gem Armadillo' both emerged from the graveyard one last time before they both disappeared for good.

"What is the meaning of this?" the masked man asked surprised. "What happened to my monsters?"

"When 'Valkyrie Zwei' is summoned to the field, she instantly destroys one monster on the field. Then, 'Valkyrie Erste' removes one monster in your graveyard from play and gains the equivalent of their attack points until the end of this turn.

A blue aura surrounded both 'Valkyrie Erste' as their attack strength rose to an amount equal of the monsters they banished. They both inhaled as they felt the power surging through their bodies, and then exhaled again when the power boost finished.

**Valkyrie Erste: ATK 1600 = 2900**

**Valkyrie Erste: ATK 1600 = 1700**

"I assume you have nothing left to say," Siegfried smiled. "Now, 'Valkyrie Erste', dispatch his 'Gem-Knight Sanyx'."

The blue-haired warrior shouted something unclear and raised her sword. Then, she ran forward with her horse and sliced her adversary three times, causing him to shatter in more than thousand pieces which flew across the arena.

**LP ?: 6900 – 1100 = 5800**

"And I'm not done with my turn. Now, my other maidens, attack his Life Points directly with 'Galloping Dash'" Siegfried immediately ordered.

The two other Valkyries also ordered their horse to charge. Just like the first one, they let out a battle cry and raised their swords. Then, they ferociously stroke him, causing his Life Points to decrease with breakneck speed.

**LP ?: 5800 – (1600 + 1700) = 2500**

"And do you still believe you can win this duel?" Siegfried asked. "Because it looks like you don't stand a chance."

"I'll admit, that was a good move. Maybe this could be an interesting duel after all" the man gave him a confident smile, making Siegfried look surprised.

"Interesting?" Siegfried replied amazed. "I'm completely in charge of this duel and you act as if I can barely keep up with your level. Who do you think you are?"

"You think you can win this duel? Very well. I wasn't planning to do this, but since you've asked for it I'll play seriously from now on," the man stated.

He then showed Siegfried the Rainbow Crystal once again as it started to glow, and the room slowly disappeared, transporting them to another dimension. The new place didn't have a floor and the air contained every single color of the rainbow, merged with each other. In fact, there was nothing except for the colorful background and them. And while Siegfried was still trying to figure out what just happened, the man simply stated: "Let the real duel begin."

* * *

><p><strong>Siegfried: <strong>"How are you going to defeat me?"

**?: **"You still haven't figured it out, have you?"

**Siegfried:** "I hardly understand the meaning of this duel."

**?: **"In that case you should start paying attention."

**Siegfried:** "Who are you actually?"

**?: **"My name is not important, what matters is that your academy will be my next stop."

**Siegfried: **"Next time on _Yu-Gi-Oh_ _European Duel Academy_: **'Gem-Knights vs. Valkyries: The Battle for the Legendary Deck'**."

**?: **"Soon that deck will be mine."

* * *

><p>AN: 1) The cards 'Valkyrie Erste', 'Valkyrie Zwei', 'Valkyrie Dritte', 'Ride of the Valkyries' and 'Wotan's Judgment' do not exist in either the OCG or the TCG. They were however used By Siegfried Von Schroeder during the 'KC Grand Prix' (known as the 'Grand Championship in the dubbed version) arc of the Yu-Gi-Oh! second series anime.

2) For those who are unfamiliar with the term 'Phantom Gods', they are known as the 'Egyptian Gods' in the dubbed version.


	12. The Battle for the Legendary Deck

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or anything designed by its original creator. I do own every character and card I've created. (If I ever create those.)

A/N: The usual things: I want to update quicker, but there are so many things that keep me from doing that, so you'll have to bear with it. Meanwhile, please review, and tell me how I can keep improving.

* * *

><p>"I assume you have nothing left to say," Siegfried smiled. "Now, 'Valkyrie Erste', dispatch his 'Gem-Knight Sanyx'."<p>

The blue-haired warrior shouted something unclear and raised her sword. Then, she ran forward with her horse and sliced her adversary three times, causing him to shatter in more than thousand pieces which flew across the arena.

**LP ?: 6900 – 1100 = 5800**

"And I'm not done with my turn. Now, my other maidens, attack his Life Points directly with 'Galloping Dash'" Siegfried immediately ordered.

The two other Valkyries also ordered their horse to charge. Just like the first one, they let out a battle cry and raised their swords. Then, they ferociously stroke him, causing his Life Points to decrease with breakneck speed.

**LP ?: 5800 – (1600 + 1700) = 2500**

"And do you still believe you can win this duel?" Siegfried asked. "Because it looks like you don't stand a chance."

"I'll admit, that was a good move. Maybe this could be an interesting duel after all" the man gave him a confident smile, making Siegfried look surprised.

"Interesting?" Siegfried replied amazed. "I'm completely in charge of this duel and you act as if I can barely keep up with your level. Who do you think you are?"

"You think you can win this duel? Very well. I wasn't planning to do this, but since you've asked for it I'll play seriously from now on," the man stated.

He then showed Siegfried the Rainbow Crystal once again as it started to glow, and the room slowly disappeared, transporting them to another dimension. The new place didn't have a floor and the air contained every single color of the rainbow, merged with each other. In fact, there was nothing except for the colorful background and them. And while Siegfried was still trying to figure out what just happened, the man simply stated: "Let the real duel begin."

* * *

><p><strong>Yu-Gi-Oh European Duel Academy<strong>

**Turn Twelve: Gem-Knights vs. Valkyries: The Battle for the Legendary Deck**

* * *

><p>Siegfried was still recovering from the latest surprise. His Duel Field had disappeared along with the building and they were now in a strange place, not understanding how this could happen.<p>

He then returned his attention to the field again. After playing 'Ride of the Valkyries', he had two 'Valkyries Erste' and a 'Valkyrie Zwei' on his side of the field. He also had two cards left in his hand along with 4700 Life Points. His opponent, whom he did not even knew his name, had an empty field, four cards in his hand and 2500 Life Points.

However, even with all those disadvantages, he still looked confident that he would win, not showing the slightest hint of fear. He even claimed to have the upper hand right now.

"I set one card and end my turn" Siegfried announced. At that time, the three maidens on his field all drew back their swords and flew away into the sky. Siegfried calmly took the cards from his Duel Disk and returned them to his deck.

"Every monster summoned by the effect of 'Ride of the Valkyries' returns to my deck at the end of my turn" Siegfried explained the sudden turn of events.

His opponent became slightly surprised by the drawback of Siegfried's card, but then decided to start his turn.

"Draw," he calmly spoke as he drew, making the card total in his hand five. "I now summon 'Gem-Knight Amber' in attack mode" he said, placing the card on his Duel Disk.

A warrior wearing a yellow armor appeared. His helmet had two green horns, shaped like lightning bolts. His chest contained a small amber-colored stone, and he wore a small sword in his right hand, one that was made from pure electricity from his left hand.

**Gem-Knight Amber: (Lv4, Thunder, ATK 1600 DEF 1400)**

"Attack Siegfried directly" he ordered without any warning.

At that time, the newly summoned monster raised his sword and strengthened it with some electricity to increase its length. He then ferociously charged to Siegfried in an attempt to strike him. That attempt however failed as a blue-haired girl emerged on Siegfried's field, holding the 'Wotan's Judgment' card he played earlier.

"I activate the trap card 'Fricka's Mediation'," Siegfried declared. "By removing 'Wotan's Judgment' from play, I can halt your attack and put an end to your battle phase."

"Fine, I'll set one card face-down. Your move" he announced while a new hologram appeared on the field.

"It's my move, draw," Siegfried said. "I also place one card face-down. Turn end."

Slightly surprised by Siegfried's last move, he drew a new card. "I summon 'Gem-Knight Garnet' in attack mode" he stated.

Next to 'Gem-Knight Amber', a red stone warrior appeared, made from garnet, a gem that has been used since the Bronze Age.

**Gem-Knight Garnet: (Lv4, Pyro, ATK 1900 DEF 0)**

"'Gem-Knight Garnet', attack Siegfried with 'Flaming Iron Fist'" the man commanded, moments after he had summoned his newest monster.

The red monster clenched his right fist and it started to burn. He then ran forward, intending to punch his opponent so hard he wouldn't get up again. Once again however, something blocked the path to Siegfried. This time, it was a giant wall of blue flames that emerged from the ground and divided the field.

"What is this?" the unknown man demanded. "Why didn't my attack work?"

"The trap card 'Loge's Flame' prevents monsters with 2000 or less attack from attacking me," Siegfried explained with a small smile. "At least your monsters, mine can still attack regardless."

Siegfried's opponent was slightly amazed by the halted attack of both monsters, yet unimpressed as he activated his own face-down card.

"I activate 'Pyroxene Fusion'," he declared. "This card allows me to fusion summon at any time, as long as I summon a 'Gem-Knight'. And since the monsters on my field have no more value to me, I'll fuse them to form 'Gem-Knight Citrine'.

Upon the activation of that card, thousands of small minerals appeared and surrounded the two Gem-Knights until Siegfried couldn't see them anymore. After a couple of seconds, the jewels disappeared and made place for a new monster, a warrior with a brown armor and helmet, but gloves with the same color as lava. He had a sword in his right hand having the exact same color as his gloves.

**Gem-Knight Citrine: (Lv7, Pyro, ATK 2200 DEF 1950)**

"What do you think of my monster?" the man asked. "His attack points are high enough to attack you even with your firewall protecting you. So, 'Gem-Knight Citrine', attack his Life Points directly."

The armored knight marched towards Siegfried, passing through the fire without any trouble. He raised his mighty sword and stroke him with it before retreating to his own field.

**LP Siegfried: 4700 – 2200 = 2500**

During that attack, Siegfried screamed in pain as he fell on his knees, putting his hands on the ground to find his balance back. He breathed heavily while trying to recover from that last attack. Slowly he got back up his feet again so he could continue the duel.

"What was that?" Siegfried demanded. "How could the damage I felt be real?"

"So you've noticed," the man responded. "Well, I told you I wasn't playing serious in the beginning. Therefore I added a little bonus to this duel: from now when our Life Points are damaged, we'll feel the same impact. We'll receive actual damage each time our Life Points decrease."

"That's impossible," Siegfried replied. "How did you manage to do that?"

"It's the Rainbow Crystal, remember. Thanks to the supernatural powers it granted me, I can do virtually anything."

"If that jewel is so powerful on its own, then why do you need that deck as well?" Siegfried wondered. "You already have so much power. Do you really need that deck?"

"Yes," he simply answered. "There's no doubt I'm already powerful, but should I lose a duel under this condition, the consequences will be terrible. But with the strongest deck I'm guaranteed to win every duel."

"And what if I win?" Siegfried smiled. "In that case you won't be able to take the legendary deck and your entire plan will be ruined."

"Then I'm lucky you aren't that strong," the man remarked. "After all, you don't have anything to protect yourself with which means I can finish this duel in the next turn. But for now, it's your turn, use it well."

Siegfried tried to argue, but he knew his opponent had a point. Without any monsters to fight back there wasn't much he could do. Instead, he drew a card, hoping it would change something. Looking at his drawn card, he couldn't help but smile.

"It looks like you haven't won yet," Siegfried declared smiling. "I activate the magic card 'Nibelung's Treasure'. This allows me to activate 'Nibelung's Ring' on your side of the field. I also draw five cards afterwards."

A silver treasure chest appeared in front of Siegfried. It opened itself and a silver ring came out of it. It attached itself immediately to the ring finger of 'Gem-Knight Citrine's' left hand. Surprised by the ring, he tried to take it off, but failed in his attempt. Then, five cards appeared from inside the chest and they all went to Siegfried's hand, giving him a total of six cards in his hand.

"Now I activate another magic card: 'Dimensional Fissure'. From now on every monster sent to the graveyard will be removed from play instead."

Upon activating the card a giant vortex emerged in the middle of the field. However, as quick as it came, it vanished again as if nothing happened.

"That ends my turn" Siegfried spoke in a calm tone.

Surprised by Siegfried's fast turns, the man drew a card to start his turn. Then, 'Nibelung's Ring' started to glow out of nothing.

"I see you've noticed the beautiful jewel your monster is wearing," Siegfried smiled. "My powerful ring obliges you to draw two cards during your draw phase."

Surprised by the ring's ability, the man drew another card. "Any particular reason you're being so generous?" he asked.

"Well, should you have drawn a monster card, you're forced to discard one of them" Siegfried explained, knowing what would come next.

Then, just as Siegfried predicted, his opponent's eyes widened in disbelief as he discarded the monster he'd drawn. Then, without a warning, the vortex he created last turn emerged again, this time dragging the card his opponent just discarded along with it, causing him to be even more amazed.

"You may have pulled an impressive trick up your sleeve, but I'm afraid it won't be enough because I summon 'Gem-Knight Alexandrite' to the field."

Once again, a mineral soldier appeared on the unknown man's side of the field. This one heavily resembled a medieval warrior wearing a full armor. The difference was that this armor had countless fractions of alexandrite in every possible color processed in it.

**Gem-Knight Alexandrite: (Lv4, Rock, ATK 1800 DEF 1200)**

"Unfortunately his attack points aren't high enough to surpass your 'Loge's Flame', but there is something else I can do: I tribute my warrior to activate his effect. Now I can summon the even stronger 'Gem-Knight Crystal' to the field.

For a brief moment, every jewel in his armor glowed in their respective color, creating an array of light. Then, all the alexandrite pieces colored blue and turned into crystals, which replaced the alexandrite in the armor. He had also grown considerably larger and more muscular; indicating that he indeed had become more powerful.

**Gem-Knight Crystal: (Lv7, Rock, ATK 2450 DEF 1950)**

Seeing the new monster, Siegfried became scared he wouldn't be able to withstand the coming attack. After all, 'Loge's Flame' was useless against the enormous strength of the newly summoned monster. However, he tried his best not to show his fear.

"'Gem-Knight Crystal', attack Siegfried directly" his opponent demanded.

The powerful warrior stretched his right arm forward and countless crystals shot out of his hand, going through the firewall with ease and hit Siegfried in his chest, causing him to scream in pain.

**LP Siegfried: 2500 – 2450 = 50**

After the attack had finished, Siegfried immediately grabbed his chest tight in an attempt to oppress the pain. Although the pain was immense and he was breathing heavily, he managed to stand straight and not to pass out.

"And now to end this duel: 'Gem-Knight Citrine', attack" the man declared.

The brown-armored knight raised his sword in an attempt to strike his opponent, but his movement was stopped by the ring on his left hand, which was glowing once again.

"It's the second effect of 'Nibelung's Ring'," Siegfried explained, still trying to get a hold. "The monster wearing it is unable to attack me. Therefore, you're not capable of defeating me this turn."

Slightly irritated, the unknown duelist ended his battle phase. He took a card from his hand and placed it face-down on the field. He then passed his turn onto Siegfried.

Siegfried, who was still in pain after the damage he received during the previous turn, tried his hardest to maintain his composure while drawing a card. After all, if his plan would be successful, the duel would be over after this very turn, leaving him the victor.

But before he would make his move, Siegfried wanted to confirm the possible plans his adversary had in mind. _Should I fail for some reason, what will happen in that case? _He reasoned.

"If you win this duel here, and you obtain that deck, what are you planning to do with it?" Siegfried asked directly.

"Duel with it, of course," the unknown duelist replied. "And I already know where to test it; your academy. Against the future top duelists, I should be able to test that deck."

"The academy?" Siegfried's face became pale, hearing that answer. While every duelist at the academy had proven to have at least passable skills, he knew that against such a powerful deck, winning was virtually impossible. But Siegfried still couldn't fully understand why that deck was necessary in this man's quest to destroy the world. Also, he had no clue why he wanted to destroy the world.

"That's right. I've heard that there are some exceptional duelists at your academy. Duelists that are already stronger than you were, even in your prime. Such duelists are a decent measure of value for that deck."

_Of course, I've set my goal on a specific student, but there's no need to tell him that. Doing so would only cause trouble finding him and fulfilling my goals._

"Who in the world are you?" Siegfried asked in a demanding tone.

"I have no intention of telling you who I am. Besides, it's not important at all. All that matters is winning this duel and heading to the academy."

The longer their conversation dragged on, the more Siegfried realized he wouldn't be able to gather any information regarding his opponent's identity. Regardless though, he had to find out at least something, because even if he would win this duel, his opponent would simply leave and come back another time. On the other hand, if he could get any information about the man in front of him, he would be able to take some countermeasures by the time of their next encounter.

He then remembered a small line from their conversation.

_Because they were my idea_

_If that's true, he must be a former employee of Industrial Illusions. In that case, all I have to do after our duel is give Pegasus a call and ask him about the one who created that deck. From that point onwards, his true identity will be exposed and I'll be able to hunt him down by any means necessary. _

Having realized that simple fact, along with the knowledge that he would win the duel this turn, Siegfried finally had a feeling he was in proper control. All that was left to do, was to make his final move.

"First, I activate the magic card 'Soul Release'. This card allows me to banish your 'Gem-Knight Tourmaline', 'Sanyx', 'Amber', 'Obsidian' and 'Garnet' from your graveyard."

After he banished the aforementioned cards, Siegfried once more counted the monsters banished during the duel.

_He has 9 monsters that are removed from play. More than enough to deal with him this turn._

"Next, I play another magic card: 'Swan Maiden'. Now I can special summon my 'Valkyrie Brunnhilde' from my hand" Siegfried spoke, while putting the card in his Duel Disk.

Out of the sky, a new female warrior descended in front of Siegfried. Sitting on a white horse, she was wearing a blue armor, which matched the color of her long hair perfectly. Furthermore, her left hand was holding a giant shield and her right hand wielded a sharp long sword. On top of that, she also had a helmet with a golden wing on each side, giving her the presence of an empress. At the very least, it looked like she had an impenetrable defense.

**Valkyrie Brunnhilde: (Lv7, Fairy, ATK 1800 DEF 2000)**

"All those preparations and you were only able to summon this?" Siegfried's mysterious opponent asked, slightly surprised and mocking at the same time.

He did have a point though; regardless of anything, a Level 7 with these stats was rather disappointing, even more so when compared to the two monsters on the other side of the newly summoned 'Valkyrie Brunnhilde'.

Siegfried however didn't seem to mind, still having a sinister smile on his face. At that moment, he played his next card.

"I play the magic card 'Enchanted Sword Nothung', and I equip it to my 'Brunnhilde', increasing her attack with 400."

After placing the card in his Duel Disk, the original sword was replaced with a beautiful, slender one. 'Brunnhilde' took the blue gripe and pointed her newly equipped weapon forward, showing her intention to kill everything standing in her path.

**Valkyrie Brunnhilde: ATK 1800 + 400 = 2200**

"And I'm still not finished," Siegfried now became more intense with each second passing by. "Behold my final card: 'Rainbow Bridge Bifrost'."

"'Rainbow Bridge… Bifrost'" Siegfried's opponent spoke quietly, apparently surprised by the name of the card.

"Due to the effect of my 'Rainbow Bridge', until the end of this turn, 'Brunnhilde' gains 500 extra attack points for every banished monster. And if I've counted correctly, there are nine monsters banished."

Doing some quick maths, the unknown duelist was astonished by the total attack points of 'Brunnhilde'.

"6700 attack points. Impossible!"

At the same time, a rainbow appeared right behind 'Valkyrie Brunnhilde', showing the images of the nine banished monsters.

**Valkyrie Brunnhilde: ATK 2200 + 4500 = 6700**

"I have to say, you are an outstanding duelist. If it wasn't for these circumstances, I'd definitely like to duel you again someday. Unfortunately for you, though, this is the end. 'Valkyrie Brunnhilde', attack his 'Gem-Knight Crystal' with 'Nothung Strike'.

Dashing forward on her horse at a rapid pace, 'Brunnhilde's' sword finally made contact with the opposing monster. Despite the crystal armor having a high density, and therefore a lot of endurance, it still shattered in countless pieces, destroying the monster at the same time.

This time, though, it was Siegfried's turn to be amazed. Having expected to finish the duel with that last attack, he was surprised that his opponent was still standing. But even more surprising was the rainbow-colored aura his opponent was surrounded by. Resonating with the 'Rainbow Crystal', the colorful aura emitted a lot of power.

After a few seconds, the aura lost its overwhelming strength and disappeared into nothing. Siegfried then noticed that his opponent's Life Points did change, but instead of hitting zero, they had increased with more than 4000.

**LP ?: 2500 + 4250 = 6750**

"How could you possibly have survived that last attack? What in the world did you do?" Siegfried demanded. He knew he had the opportunity to end the duel this turn, but not only had he failed to do so, he suddenly had an even bigger disadvantage.

"Trap card: 'Rainbow Life'," was the simple reply. "With this card, any damage I would take this turn is negated and my Life Points increase with the same amount. Therefore, the 4250 damage I would have taken, was transferred to my Life Points instead. I do have to discard a card, though, but that's only a small price I have to pay."

"I set one card and end my turn" Siegfried said.

_It's a shame that I was unable to finish it last turn, but it doesn't matter. After all, my face-down card is 'Mirror Force', which guarantees my next turn, no matter the situation._

"My turn, draw" spoke the unknown duelist, drawing two cards according to the effect of 'Nibelung's Ring'.

"Now discard one monster you drew" Siegfried ordered, pointing to the giant ring.

"Then it's too bad I didn't draw any monsters"

To prove his previous statement, he showed Siegfried his newly drawn cards: the spell cards 'Mystical Space Typhoon' and 'Dark Factory of Mass Production'.

"Now, I activate 'Mystical Space Typhoon' to destroy 'Dimensional Fissure'. Therefore, our monsters will no longer be banished."

Following the activation of the card, a giant tornado got rid of the vortex in the middle of the field.

"Next, I play 'Burial From a Different Dimension'. This allows me to return three banished monsters to the graveyard, giving me back my 'Gem-Knight Garnet', 'Gem-Knight Tourmaline' and 'Gem-Knight Amber'."

_Now I'm absolutely sure nothing can happen anymore. Since I already know the only card in his hand there's nothing to fear. Even if he summons another monster, it won't make a difference._

In the meantime, the third card had been activated as well. "With 'Dark Factory of Mass Production' I can return 'Gem-Knight Garnet' and 'Gem-Knight Tourmaline' back to hand from the graveyard."

At that moment, a vicious smile could be seen on the unknown duelist's face, surprising Siegfried.

"I activate the effect of 'Gem-Knight Fusion': by removing a 'Gem-Knight' in my graveyard from play, I can return this card to my hand."

Without hesitation 'Amber' was banished once more as the spell card was returned to his hand, making the number of cards in his hand three.

At this point, Siegfried realized the goal of the preparations: summoning a new fusion monster in an attempt to end the duel. But it didn't matter to him, he was prepared for it, looking at his face-down card.

"I activate 'Gem-Knight Fusion'. By fusing 'Gem-Knight Garnet', 'Gem-Knight Tourmaline' and 'Gem-Knight Citrine' I can summon my strongest monster: 'Gem-Knight Master Diamond'."

Once more, a mineral storm appeared on the field as the aforementioned monsters were sucked in the whirlpool of jewels. After a few moments, it calmed down and the monsters were vanished.

In their stead, a much more impressive monster made its way to the field. Wearing an armor made of pure diamond, making it a near impenetrable defense, along with a helmet made of the same material. In addition, he carried a broad long sword with seven jewels in it – one in every color of the rainbow.

**Gem-Knight Master Diamond: (Lv9, Rock, ATK 2900 DEF 2500)**

Siegfried was slightly impressed as well, staring at the powerful monster in front of him. Even so, his confidence remained unaltered. However strong it might be, it would fall victim to his trap.

However, the moment Siegfried thought about the outcome of the battle, his opponent asked him something: "That face-down card is meant to block my attack, isn't it? By doing so, you're hoping to launch a counterattack, I assume."

Hearing those words, Siegfried was dumbfounded. How was his plan read so easily? But the shock would become even bigger after he heard the next lines.

"I activate 'Gem-Knight Master Diamond's' ability: once per turn, I can remove a 'Gem-Knight' fusion monster from play and absorb its effect. Therefore, by banishing 'Gem-Knight Citrine', I can absorb its ability to prevent you from activating cards or effects during battle. In other words, you can no longer prevent my attack or your defeat. 'Gem-Knight Master Diamond', attack 'Valkyrie Brunnhilde' with 'Diamond Destruction'."

The diamond-armored warrior lifted his heavy sword, causing the seven jewels on his sword to shine beautifully. Leaping forward, the now rainbow-colored sword connected with the impressive shield 'Valkyrie Brunnhilde' was still wielding. The impact was so intense it could be felt throughout the entire area. In the end though, the shield shattered and the brave female warrior lost the fight.

**LP Siegfried: 50 – 900 = 0**

The moment his Life Point counter reached zero, Siegfried once more felt an immense pain surging through his body, even more painful than the ones he had experienced earlier. Barely awake, he fell on the ground, watching as his still unknown opponent walked near him.

Stopping right in front of his face, Siegfried tried his hardest to get up, however, his body was far too damaged to even try. The mere fact he was still conscious could be called amazing, at the very least.

"You won't die here, the damage is painful, but not life-threatening. More importantly, since I won, I now officially own your legendary deck."

Those words caused a mix of relief and failure. Relief because he wouldn't die. Failure because he was unable to keep the cards and keep them safe.

Meanwhile, the man whose identity would remain unknown had already taken the deck and was carefully looking at it. After observing it for less than a minute, he walked away, having accomplished his mission. Whatever happened to Siegfried wasn't his problem anymore. He would have a brain concussion, therefore having no memory of the past few hours, and his body would slowly recover from the impact since no internal organs were severely damaged. But even if that would be the case, it wouldn't make any difference in the end. Siegfried had fulfilled the sole purpose of being defeated, and that was the only thing that mattered.

Siegfried, unable to speak or to undertake any form of action because of his injuries, finally lost consciousness as time started moving forward again.

* * *

><p><strong>Rick: <strong>"So, will the story finally shift back to us?"

**Ilian: **"That is correct. The next chapter will once more take place on our academy."

**Max: **"What's going to happen next chapter?"

**Ilian: **"Apparently Rick's going to duel Miss Moreno."

**Max: **"Really? Why?"

**Rick: **"It doesn't matter. Just knowing I get to duel again is enough for me."

**Ilian: **"Next time on _Yu-Gi-Oh European Duel Academy_: **'Vanilla Invasion! Prove Your Worth'**."

**Rick: **"Normal monsters… Sounds interesting."

* * *

><p>AN: The cards 'Valkyrie Erste', 'Valkyrie Zwei', 'Ride of the Valkyries', 'Fricka's Mediation', 'Wotan's Judgment', 'Loge's Flame', 'Nibelung's Treasure', 'Nibelung's Ring', 'Swan Maiden', 'Valkyrie Brunnhilde', 'Enchanted Sword Nothung' and 'Rainbow Bridge Bifrost' do not exist in either the OCG or the TCG. They were however used by Siegfried Von Schroeder during the 'KC Grand Prix' (known as the 'Grand Championship' in the dubbed version) arc of the Yu-Gi-Oh second series anime.


End file.
